Fertility Startups in Japan Step In as Treatment Demand Soars
- Women undergoing treatment often forced to step back at work
- Government increasing IVF support amid record low birth rate
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A small number of startups are stepping up to address infertility issues in Japan, where shortages of treatment options plague patients in a country grappling with one of the world’s lowest birth rates.
Yukiko Nakai, one such entrepreneur, spent hours in packed infertility clinics, counting the inefficiencies that exacerbated already long wait times. She soon ran out of her vacation days at work. Her take-home salary fell, while her out-of-pocket medical bills climbed to around ¥10 million ($66,000).