FERTILITY FOCUSED

After encountering information overload during her own fertility journey, Halle Tecco set out to change the reproductive health narrative with Natalist, a trusted trove of fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum essentials.

6M I N I 2 s u m m e r ‘22

interview by KATE KIRBY photography by NATALIST

which products I needed. At the time, the offerings in the market were all faceless brands that were male-owned and led. A lot of these products that were available lacked any evidence and felt outdated. It made my heart break to think about these businesses pushing products with junk science to women who were experiencing one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.

MINI | What makes Natalist stand out from the rest?

HALLE TECCO | There are many things that set Natalist apart, but in an industry notorious for wastefulness and single-use plastics, we believe the industry must do better for our future generations which is why all of our products are 100% plastic neutral and our shipping materials are 100% recyclable and biodegradable. As a company dedicated to building healthy families, we value the progress we are making toward sustainability and leaving a healthier Mother MINI | How did Natalist come to be? Earth for our future children. Our HALLE TECCO | After years of sifting through biggest differentitons of information and misinformation ator is the inspiraduring my own fertility journey, I was tion and first-hand inspired to create a more evidence-based knowledge driving approach to reproductive care. Even though the brand. NatalI had more healthcare knowledge than the ist is founded and average consumer, I found it difficult and led by moms who frustrating to comb through an overload of have used fertility sometimes inaccurate research to figure out products for years, and as a result, know what to change from both the experience and narrative around the preconception journey.

MINI | Can you tell us about your own journey with fertility?

HALLE TECCO | It took us four years and multiple rounds of IVF to have my son. During those long months of repeatedly negative pregnancy tests, I felt disconnected from my body and unsure of what to believe from what I was reading on the internet. The products on the market didn’t feel like they catered to me as a millennial woman. Since founding Natalist, I have had ten pregnancy losses including losing our twin girls at 17 weeks earlier this year. This has completely changed my perspective on fertility care, and made me realize how the emotional aspect of fertility is just as important as the physical aspect.

MINI | Let’s talk about the Natalist product line-up.

HALLE TECCO | We’ve created a one-stop-shop of trusted fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum essentials for women at all stages of their reproductive

Fertility Friends

CELL SAVERS Help support egg and sperm quality with these CoQ10 gummies.

SPERM TEST The Legacy At-Home Sperm Analysis is a clinical-grade fertility analysis for him.

EARLY TESTS Get peace of mind ASAP with these reliable and earth-friendly HCG test strips.

HIS PRENATAL The Prenatal for Him was developed by a urologist and male fertility nutrition specialist.

PEAK TIMER Track your ovulation so you can increase your chances of getting pregnant. journey. Our products range from supplements like vitamin D3, CoQ10, iron, and prenatals to ovulation, pregnancy, and at-home fertility tests. We also have self-care items like anti-nausea tea, cooling cream, belly oil, and a male fertility supplement.

MINI | Can you give us a brief timeline for women trying to conceive— Which Natalist products should they start with?

HALLE TECCO | Generally, women start their TTC journey with our Get Pregnant Bundle which includes everything you need to get started. We give you the tools to track your cycle, identify your fertile window, increase your chances of getting pregnant, and plan your life as parents. It’s important to be taking a prenatal vitamin before you are pregnant. We have two options: The Prenatal Daily Packets and our new Prenatal Gummies. If you’ve been tracking your cycle and timing intercourse but aren’t getting pregnant, I recommend checking out our Women’s Fertility Test and the Legacy Sperm Analysis. Education is power and we have a ton of valuable content on our site!

MINI | Tell us more about how Natalist is filling the

need for women trying to conceive.

HALLE TECCO | Natalist is rebuilding the experience for women on their personal fertility journey with products that are backed by science and built by a team of doctors and moms who have been there and are focused on making the journey better for others. We’ve taken the confusion and intimidation out of shopping for these products with evidence-led resources and jargon-free product information backed by our experts.

MINI | What do you think is the biggest misconception surrounding women’s reproductive health and fertility?

HALLE TECCO | Historically, there has been a lot of judgment for those that do not experience a straight-forward fertility experience, and while there are many brands and products on the market offering to support women on their journey, many still do not feel particularly confident when it comes to understanding their fertility health. A big misconception is that infertility is a woman’s issue, but the reality is that a third of infertility is due to the female, a third is due to the male, and the remaining third is still unknown.

MINI | How do you think we can change that?

HALLE TECCO | Fertility brands need to put in the work to tackle the misinformation, secrecy, and shame that has been attached to this space for years with more transparency. A women’s fertility journey could look a million different ways, and it’s our responsibility to provide them with educational resources and stigma-free products to support them and erase the judgment that has been attached to the experience for so long.