For many women, the path to understanding their own reproductive health is a decade-long journey through unexplained symptoms, dismissive consultations, and a frustrating lack of data. Hertility, a London-based women's health company founded in 2019, is betting that a finger-prick blood test and a clinical-grade analysis can compress that timeline into weeks. The startup's core offering is an at-home hormone panel, but its ambition is to build an end-to-end diagnostic and care pathway, sold both directly to consumers and, increasingly, as an employee benefit to forward-thinking companies [Hertility Health, retrieved 2024].
This dual-channel strategy positions Hertility at a specific intersection: leveraging the scalability of direct-to-consumer health tech while pursuing the stickier, higher-volume distribution of the corporate benefits market. The company's reported £4.2 million ($5.9 million) seed round in June 2021, backed by investors including LocalGlobe and Emma Watson, funded this push [Crunchbase, retrieved 2024]. For Hertility, the workplace isn't just another sales channel; it's a strategic entry point to normalize comprehensive reproductive healthcare, moving it from a private concern to a supported component of employee wellbeing.
A diagnostic-first approach, led by scientists
Hertility's differentiation begins with its founding team, which brings deep academic and clinical credibility to a market often crowded with wellness-oriented apps. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Helen O'Neill is a molecular geneticist and associate professor at University College London, with a research focus on pre-implantation embryo development [The Conversation, retrieved 2026]. Her co-founder, Dr. Natalie Getreu, is a reproductive biologist and honorary lecturer at UCL who helped establish the UK's first NHS-funded ovarian tissue cryopreservation service. This scientific pedigree informs the product's clinical posture.
The company's health assessment goes beyond returning raw hormone levels. It uses a proprietary algorithm, informed by clinical guidelines and real-world data, to calculate a risk profile for 18 conditions related to reproductive health, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diminished ovarian reserve, and thyroid dysfunction. The promise is not just data, but a potential diagnosis and a clear, fast-tracked route to specialist care,a response to what the founders describe as women waiting up to a decade for answers [Dr Natalie Getreu - Hertility Health | LinkedIn, retrieved 2026].
The workplace as a scalable clinical channel
While consumers can purchase tests directly, Hertility's growth engine is its B2B2C workplace product. Marketed as a reproductive and hormone health employee benefit, it bundles education, at-home testing, and clinical support into a package for employers [Hertility Health, retrieved 2024]. The value proposition for companies hinges on talent retention and reducing absenteeism by addressing health issues that disproportionately affect working-age women, from fertility treatments and pregnancy loss to perimenopausal symptoms.
Early traction in this channel includes a partnership with PIB Employee Benefits and a trial with UK broadcaster Channel 4, which is offering the testing to its employees [6][17]. This model provides Hertility with a predictable, scalable customer base and embeds its service at the point where healthcare decisions are often made,through employer-sponsored benefits.
| Founder | Role | Key Background |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Helen O'Neill | Co-founder & CEO | Molecular geneticist, Associate Professor at UCL, research in reproductive science and CRISPR [The Conversation, retrieved 2026]. |
| Dr. Natalie Getreu | Co-founder | Reproductive biologist, Honorary Lecturer at UCL, established NHS fertility preservation service. |
| Deirdre O'Neill | Co-founder & Chief Commercial & Legal Officer | Commercial and operations background, sister of Helen O'Neill [ThinkBusiness, retrieved 2024]. |
Navigating a crowded and cautious market
The market Hertility operates in is both vast and nuanced. The broader women's health sector is projected to be worth $50 billion by 2025, creating a powerful tailwind. However, the competitive set is fragmented, ranging from cycle-tracking apps like Natural Cycles to more clinical fertility services. Hertility's bet is that a diagnostic-first, scientist-led approach will carve out a defensible position against more generalized wellness offerings.
The company also faces the inherent challenges of any business operating in regulated health diagnostics. While its tests are conducted in certified labs, the interpretation of results and suggested care pathways must navigate a complex medico-legal landscape. Furthermore, convincing traditionally conservative corporate HR departments to adopt a benefit covering intimate health issues requires a shift in mindset. Hertility's answer appears to be a focus on tangible outcomes,faster diagnoses, reduced healthcare costs, and improved employee satisfaction,backed by the credibility of its clinical team.
What standard of care looks like today
For the millions of women navigating conditions like unexplained infertility, PCOS, or perimenopause, the current standard of care is often characterized by delay and fragmentation. The journey typically begins with a primary care visit, where symptoms may be minimized. Referrals to specialists can take months, and the diagnostic process itself,involving multiple in-person blood draws across a menstrual cycle,is inconvenient and slow. This system leaves individuals piecing together their own health narrative, often turning to unregulated online communities for support.
Hertility is attempting to reconfigure this experience by placing a comprehensive diagnostic tool at the very beginning of the patient journey. The promise is a 360-degree view of reproductive hormones, delivered privately at home, that can identify red flags and directly connect individuals to appropriate clinical services [ThinkBusiness, retrieved 2024]. In doing so, the company is not just selling tests; it is proposing a new, data-driven entry point into a healthcare system that has historically underserved women's health. The next twelve months will be a test of whether employers and the healthcare ecosystem at large are ready to adopt it.
Sources
- [Crunchbase, retrieved 2024] Hertility Health Funding Rounds | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/hertility-health
- [Hertility Health, retrieved 2024] Workplace Benefits | https://hertilityhealth.com/workplace
- [The Conversation, retrieved 2026] Dr. Helen O'Neill profile | https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-oneill-1532726
- [19] Dr. Natalie Getreu background |
- [5] Women's health market projection |
- [6] Partnership with PIB Employee Benefits |
- [ThinkBusiness, retrieved 2024] Hertility Health profile | https://www.thinkbusiness.ie/articles/hertility-health-women-fertility-entrepreneurs/
- [23] Health assessment algorithm details |
- [Dr Natalie Getreu - Hertility Health | LinkedIn, retrieved 2026] Founder statement on diagnostic delays | https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-getreu-28086730/
- [12] Workplace value proposition | https://hertilityhealth.com/workplace
- [17] Channel 4 partnership trial |
- [Hertility Health, retrieved 2024] Core product description | https://hertilityhealth.com