What You Should Know
- The Partnership: Maven Clinic, the unicorn virtual clinic for women’s health, has partnered with Color Health, the leader in virtual cancer care, to launch a specialized “oncofertility” program.
- The Gap: With cancer rates rising among young adults (80,000 U.S. diagnoses annually), fewer than 50% of patients report discussing fertility preservation with their oncologist before starting treatments like chemo or radiation that could leave them infertile.
- The Solution: The collaboration integrates Color’s oncologist-led cancer management with Maven’s family-building platform. This creates a “fast track” for patients to assess fertility risks and access preservation services (egg/sperm freezing) immediately upon diagnosis, before treatment windows close.
Closing the 50% Gap
The statistics driving this partnership are stark. While 80,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year, fewer than half report that their oncologist discussed fertility preservation with them.
This “silence” can be devastating. Once treatment begins, it is often too late to freeze eggs or sperm. The new program solves this by weaving fertility risk assessment directly into the routine cancer care flow.
- Immediate Triage: When a Color patient is identified as high-risk or diagnosed, they are connected to Maven’s specialized pathway.
- The “Dream Team”: Patients get access to a virtual squad including oncologists, fertility specialists, and mental health providers.
- Speed: The program provides expedited access to fertility clinics, bypassing standard wait times when days matter.
The Employer Imperative
Initially, these services will be deployed through employers and health plans. For benefits leaders, this is a strategic consolidation of two of the most complex and costly areas of healthcare: oncology and fertility.
“As cancer survival rates continue to improve, quality of life after treatment matters more than ever,” said Kate Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven Clinic. By supporting employees through the intersection of these two crises, companies can offer a benefit that is profoundly impactful on long-term well-being.
