Planning the Future of Family Planning: An Interview With Celmatix’s Angie Lee
This team will forever alter how we think about our fertility
The average age of the first time mom is on the rise, in part due to more and more women starting families well into their thirties. For many women trying to conceive on the latter end of our supposed “fertility window” (myself included), every month that passes without a positive pregnancy test brings a small moment of panic, the “Did I wait too long?” moment. But what if you knew exactly what your fertility path had in store before the idea of pregnancy and babies and family even crossed your mind? What if you could peer into the future of your fertility in your early 20's? How would you balance this information into the context of your life?
This is where Angie Lee and the team at Celmatix come in. They have developed a digital clinical platform and a genetics test, called Fertilome, that puts information about your fertility into your hands and arms you with better information to plan out your life and your path to and through motherhood.
Celmatix is based on a really powerful concept — what if you could look into the crystal ball of your fertility. How do you see Celmatix changing the way we think about fertility?
Many women think of 35 as a magic number for fertility. “As long as I have a kid by 35, I should be fine.” But in reality, understanding your personal fertility isn’t that simple. 35 is the age when the average woman’s fertility begins to decline. If you consider what an average actually is, this means that there are as many women who won’t face difficulty having children later as there are women who should be worried far earlier. Where do you fall?
At Celmatix, we are building towards a different vision. Imagine if you could make decisions about family and career based on your own biology — not averages.
Imagine if your DNA could reveal risk factors that could help you make decisions today that would help your future You.
We are building better tools to help women make reproductive health decisions based on their own clinical and genetic information. The Fertilome genetic test is the world’s first comprehensive genetic screen for reproductive health. With this test we are bringing the same concept that has revolutionized the treatment of cancer to helping women make informed, proactive decisions about their fertility.
This mission beautifully speaks to the idea of putting better information into women’s hands to think about and plan their path to motherhood. How would you describe the women seeking this type of insight?
This information can empower any woman who would like to have a family one day. For career-minded women who are concerned about work-life balance, understanding their genetics may help them make timing decisions that can optimize family building in the context of their career. For women who may want a large family, understanding this information may help them decide if they can take a few years after getting married before starting their family building. For women who are currently trying to get pregnant, it may help quell the nagging feeling, “Should I be worried?” And for women who have been diagnosed with infertility and are undergoing expensive treatment, this information could help their doctors refine treatment planning from the very first cycle.
Has your role as a mother inspired your work at Celmatix?
Having a family definitely reinforces the importance of of the work we do. Every day, we see the emotional and financial impact that infertility has on women. So many of them declare, “If I had known it would be this hard, I would have started my family earlier.” Of course, genetics isn’t destiny so simply knowing risk factors earlier might not have solved it for every woman.
However, information can be empowering and it is our belief that women should have as much information as available today to make the right decision for her.
You have written extensively about life as a working mom including my favorite piece focusing on “the intersection of mom and boss.” What is it like being as a working mother in the startup world?
It is like any startup. We work long hours and there are days when I think the pace is insane. But the thing that keeps me going is that I want my daughter to have a different way in the future. If technology can give her a better way for designing the life that she wants, then I want to be a part of giving that to her and all of the other women in the world.
On that note, how do you see your daughter’s world changing when she is reaching this time in her life?
My hope is that by the time my daughter is in her 20s, she will have the information she needs to design the life she wants, with fewer trade offs between career, family, and life.
I imagine a world where genetic tests like ours will be able to help her understand her risk factors so that she can make proactive decisions not only about family building, but also birth control, pregnancy, and even treatment for menopause.
We have created a new category of test with the Fertilome genetic test, but we are just getting started. This is really an opportunity to say, “Okay. Let’s plan ahead.” It is not about then and there at 25 deciding what you are doing but giving and embracing the access to information.
Celmatix headed out to Washington in January, where do you see the role of companies in leading the charge for women’s rights?
We are proud to be a part of a new wave of women’s health companies that are driving innovation and change in this space. We are driven by a mission to empower all women with the tools they need to take greater proactive control of their reproductive health and we believe that access to this information is key. It is important the companies continue to publicly and vocally support the programs and policies that give women and children the access to care that they need and should be entitled to.
Are you game for sharing your birth story?
I have two kids and I was very lucky because both went very smoothly and with no complications. What I love about Bloomlife is that it really taps into what every new mom always wonders, “Are these contractions? Are these real?” You are feeling emotions and feelings in your body that you have never felt before, and how do I interpret this information?
The birth story I often share was my first. It was two weeks before my due date and by that point, I was very uncomfortable. In a fit of frustration, I yelled, quite loudly, “I am so tired of being pregnant! I am so DONE!” Literally, my water broke in that instant.
The tough thing with birth stories is that expectant mothers tend to get regaled with extremes — either the really terrible or the idealized. “I labored for 36 hours and nearly died.” or “I had a perfect water-birth at home surrounded by candles.” I often share mine just to give them comfort that a birth story doesn’t have to be scary or perfect. In fact, non-eventful can actually be wonderful. My water broke. I went to the hospital. I had an epidural. And 12 hours later, I was a mom.
Anyway that you give birth, it is absolutely the right way to give birth.
People get so wrapped up in planning their labor. “Should I do it this way? Should I do it that way?” When they ask for advice, I always say, “Whatever you do is the absolute right decision for you and your family. And you should not feel guilt or pressure for any decision that you make because in that instance you have to be true to what matters to you.” No one should feel disappointment and no one should feel stress or anxiety about how they choose to do it. It’s such a personal decision.
If you could capture, in one word or phrase, how you think about think of pregnancy and/or motherhood what would it be?
I think of being a mother as very life-defining. This is not to be confused with the idea of it being identity defining. I think being a mother is very important to me, but I don’t define it as my identity.
By life-defining, I mean, when you have children, you set forth the dominoes that will influence many other decisions that you make. Your investment in your career, the types of jobs that you choose to take, where you choose to live, how you spend your money. All these things are very well defined, decided by your decision to become a mother, and by your decision about how many children to have.
I do think that choosing to have children defines so much of your life, but I caution people to think of this decision defining who they are. I often think about this in the context of my daughter: I would never want my daughter to define herself by her role in service of others which is so much of what happens when you become a mother.
You are often tasked with sacrificing so much of yourself. This is incredibly important, of course, but should be a part of the decision making process when you think about balance.
It changes with different ages and there are sweet spots. Now, I have a nine year old and a six year old. I don’t have the stress of teenagers or the neediness of little ones. And I am able to take some time off for myself and define myself through other things.
So, I do think that what is great about motherhood is that it can be incredibly life-defining in a good and awesome way.
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