iConceive is an online portal that aims to streamline the IVF process by synchronising data between patients and clinics. Photo: Supplied.
There’s a slew of apps that help women track their menstrual and fertility cycle, but Albury entrepreneur Stuu Hunter believes he has found a gap in the market when it comes patient interaction with fertility clinics.
His app, iConceive, is an online platform designed to streamline someone’s in vitro fertilisation (IVF) experience by connecting patients and fertility clinics.
“We think it could be certainly the leading or a leading version of this product,” Mr Hunter said. “So what we’ve seen is other apps are really self-contained.”
Most apps allow users to set their own instructions and record their cycles, but that information may not be synchronised to a fertility clinic.
iConceive works by sharing data recorded by users with their fertility clinic, sending notifications to remind users to take medication, and alerting fertility clinics if there is any deviation from their original treatment plan so that any time-sensitive changes or support can be implemented.
IVF cycles can be as long as 16 weeks and involve a lot of preparation, and any disruption can compromise the treatment plan.
“Imagine coming to Albury and then driving two hours to find a new pharmacy that doesn’t stock the drugs, because they’re a small pharmacy and they have to order them in,” Mr Hunter said.
“The app helps people know what to do. The local pharmacy in Albury all know about the app, so everyone is supporting everybody.
“The great advantage of this is that if the patient does what they’ve needed to do, the practice is updated, and they get a whole bunch of green lights.
“If the patient deviates or varies, the practice gets alerts on those things in the form of traffic lights that are yellow or amber, and they can help the patient.
“We don’t see any other app that does that linked synchronised communication between the app in the hand of the patient and the practice’s platform to know what’s going on between the two of them.”
Clinics are alerted if there are any changes in the treatment plan in the form of traffic lights. Photo: Supplied.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recorded the worst year for data breaches in 2024 and users of the app were reasonably concerned about how their health data would be handled.
The iConceive team designed the app to be a standalone from other platforms to keep it secure.
“We expect that we will have to one day tie in with other existing platforms, but at the moment, standalone, so we can encapsulate it and we can reassure our users that it’s secure,” Mr Hunter said.
“Users still were worried about it, so one of the ways we dealt with that is we put signage up in a practice that tells people about what the iConceive app is that gives them a first bit of reassurance.”
An invite from the fertility clinic is also required for users to register for the app.
“So when the clinic sends them the invitation, the patient then logs into the app, sets themselves up, and they’re connected to the clinic,” he said.
“So the app doesn’t stand on its own. The app is part of the clinic platform.
“We’ve had people advise us that they downloaded the app and couldn’t log in. Well, that’s kind of reaffirming the security of it. It’s really only for IVF patients who are patients of an IVF clinic that uses iConceive.
“We’re not really involved in the science of IVF.
“What we’re looking at is the human factor – making sure that people understand and track their compliance with the treatment cycles and getting the support they need along the way.”
Find out more about iConceive here. The app is available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
