Gut Health Supplement Aimed To Increase Chances Of Pregnancy

Deborah Brock is the founder of Nua Fertility, a health supplement start-up aimed at helping women conceive. The product is called NuaBiome Women and it was launched in the Irish market in August 2020 after three years of research and development in collaboration with Teagasc, UCC-based APC Microbiome and experts in fertility and nutrition.

What makes Brock’s product different is that it focuses on the microbiome and more specifically on gut health. “An imbalanced gut microbiome affects the absorption of essential micronutrients and causes immune problems such as inflammation which affects the implantation of the fertilized egg and has been associated with miscarriage,” explains Brock. “A healthy microbiome is essential for optimizing fertility and NuaBiome Women combines fertility-promoting vitamins and minerals with a blend of high-quality good bacteria strains to support healthy conception, egg health and fetal development. “

Nua Fertility was inspired by Brock’s personal experience. “I met my soul mate, Mark, we got married and thought I was going to get pregnant,” she says. “Unfortunately that didn’t happen and I became a statistic.

“Our journey to becoming parents was far from straightforward and this led to the formation of Nua Fertility as my search for solutions, based on science, led me to understand the importance of nutrition and the amazing world of microbiome and how it is a key determinant of healthy fertility Vitamins and minerals are very important for the quality, maturation, fertilization and implantation of oocytes, while antioxidants are essential for reducing stress oxidative that affects both the egg and the sperm.

Brock worked primarily in the education and charitable sector before founding Nua Fertility and graduated from the New Frontiers program at IT Blanchardstown. The investment in the company to date has been in the order of € 250,000, mainly funded by the private sector with support from the local Wicklow corporate office and Enterprise Ireland.

The company is currently in fundraising mode with a view to raising € 500,000. “We are now fulfilling business development and marketing roles and are also looking for a Chief Scientist to join the company,” said Brock. “When the hires are finished, we will be a team of seven people. “

The production of NuaBiome Women is contracted out to a global manufacturer based in Europe chosen by Brock for its commitment to science and research. The product is available in Ireland and Great Britain at drugstores and health food stores and direct from the company’s e-commerce platform which has seen orders pouring in from all over the world.

Nua Fertility has three distributors spanning 12 markets with Mexico set to go live and the company also recently launched its Amazon UK brand store.

“Two things are really important to me, the science behind the product and the educational part,” says Brock. “We therefore hope to begin clinical trials soon to confirm that 60 women became pregnant while taking our supplement. Also, coming from a school background, I am very passionate about educating couples and healthcare professionals on how to get pregnant. When we grow up, all the emphasis is on how not to. I have a strong personal interest in the “how” of having undergone seven cycles of IVF myself. “

NuaBiome Women is the company’s first product and several more are in the pipeline, including NuaBiome for Men which has just been launched.

“Nua Fertility highlights the revolutionary link between fertility and the microbiome – an area that is often overlooked when trying to optimize the health of our fertility,” said Brock. “Our product intersects with two rapidly growing international markets: probiotics and fertility supplements. The global probiotics market is expected to reach $ 57.4 billion by 2022, while the global fertility supplements market will reach approximately $ 2.4 billion by 2024. Our global target market is approximately 145 million of couples. One in eight couples worldwide have fertility problems and in Ireland it is even higher, one in four. “