Written by Jenny Wordsworth. Reviewed by…PIF TICK standards!

What is PIF Tick?

Think of the Patient Information Forum (PIF) TICK as the gold standard in health information that you can trust. It is the only UK-wide quality mark for health information. 

The idea behind the PIF TICK certification is to make it quick and easy for you to spot trusted healthcare information. It must be accurate, accessible, evidence-based information from organisations like OVUM that will help those suffering with infertility to:

• make the best decisions about their fertility health;
• get the support they need; and
• be more involved in their care.

Wherever you see the PIF TICK, whether that’s on a website, leaflets, an app; it’s confirmation that the information you’re reading and viewing has been thoroughly vetted for accuracy and reflects the highest standards of healthcare reporting. The World Health Organisation recently developed a toolkit to help tackle misinformation in healthcare online, one of their main case studies was the importance of non-profits organisation like PIF and the certification they offer which limits the spread of misinformation. 

Why is the PIF TICK important to OVUM?

As the founder of OVUM, it was my priority from day one of launching the brand to become a PIF certified entity. Everyone at Team OVUM understands how overwhelming trying to conceive can be, and the desperation (we don’t love that word!) of trying to find an answer online as to what might be preventing you from conceiving and bringing a baby home. Or even just a simple explanation of how your cycle works and timing conception!

In addition to that, it can feel like you are permanently having to advocate for yourself through the journey. From convincing your GP to do some initial blood tests, to trying to secure a referral to an NHS IVF clinic - even in a private setting the struggle can feel the same. Simply being heard and having great communication from your medical team isn’t always on offer. It is exhausting and demoralising. So my hope with being PIF TICK approved, is that OVUM can play a small role in improving your experience whilst you navigate infertility.

We also donate 20% of all profits to fund independent research into causes of infertility. Again, this makes us unique. Together, with you as our customer, it means we’re collectively doing our bit to help improve the awareness and knowledge of infertility that hopefully leads to more treatments and solutions, for those that will come after us. 

What did we have to do to be PIF TICK verified?

What makes OVUM stand out is it’s approach to scientific research and evidence. We are the only brand to undertake an annual review all of the latest and high-quality scientific evidence and we’ll update the formula of products annually should the evidence suggest it. This means we are always offering you the latest and best possible products to help improve your chances of conception. 

So, for OVUM, it was clear that we were already achieving many of the standards required by PIF to achieve certification. What we lacked was a written down process to explain every step and demonstrate how we actually met the standards.

Our team underwent a rigorous approval process whereby all of our existing content was reviewed to ensure it measured up to the high standards demanded by PIF tick (spoiler alert: it was). From then on all our blog creation and content has undergone a formal process that we can demonstrate satisfies the PIF requirements.

For OVUM to be awarded the PIF TICK, we had to show that we are meeting 10 key steps:

1. We create our information using a reliable process.
2. We train and support Team OVUM to produce high-quality information.
3. We produce information to fill gaps that have been identified by people affected by infertility.
4. We make sure that our information is based on the best and most up-to-date evidence available.
5. We involve people living with infertility at all stages of development, through our team of The Good Eggs. This in addition to healthcare professionals and other experts who advise on the content.
6. We use plain language that is easier to understand.
7. We make it as easy as possible for you to find and use our information.
8. We actively collect and act on feedback from the people who use our information.
9. We make sure that people know what information we have and how they can find it, so that it can be used by everyone who needs it.
10. We measure how information is being used, and how it is helping those people who use it.

Our certification is reviewed annually which means the PIF TICK team are constantly assessing us and ensuring we meet these standards. The PIF TICK certification is usually given to medical charities (Tommy’s Charity, for example) and OVUM is the first brand in the fertility sector to be awarded the certification who isn’t a charity. That is something we are incredibly proud of.

How do we produce PIF TICK approved information?

We have a wide and varied team of medical and nutritional professionals who we work with to create our content. Our two Co-Chief Medical Officers, Dr. Kat and Dr. Phoebe also review all content that is prepared, as well as writing their own useful guides. We regularly ask you for feedback on what we publish and this helps feed into what we should prepare next. A great deal of time and effort goes into building this resource and you can access our full back catalogue of blogs here.

What does this mean for OVUM customers?

We understand how important online information is when you’re navigating infertility, and with that comes a great deal of information available from influencers on social media or in online forums. There is the potential for damaging advice to be offered in these spaces, and OVUM will always advocate for processes that help prevent this. The last thing we need when trying to conceive is not being able trust the information we consume online. 

Our ultimate goal is to create a safe space of educational content. Somewhere where you can genuinely learn about your fertility and menstrual health without feeling like you’re being sold to. We do not promote our products in the ‘Learn’ section of our website. Instead, it is suppose to be a safe space - with no white noise, no overwhelm, just information you can trust. 

We know what it’s like to spend hours falling down the Google rabbit hole trying to find information on your fertility, from why you’ve miscarried again to what you can do to improve your chances next time. It’s exhausting. There is so much conflicting information out there and little of it is backed by credible scientific evidence. We hope Team OVUM can play a small but important role in helping you learn more about your fertility, and empower you to advocate for yourself whilst navigating this journey. Hopefully we’ve achieved that.

If you ever have any feedback for us, please contact us directly at info@startwithovum.com

Key Takeaways

• OVUM is the first brand in fertility to secure the coveted PIF TICK certification in recognition of the quality of its published information on fertility.

• OVUM aims to to create a safe space of educational content to support you throughout your trying to conceive journey.

• Our PIF certification has strengthened our process for the production of our resources and gives us a formal method of guaranteeing and evidencing what quality looks like. We’re huge fans!

• You can read more about PIF Tick and what it means to be certified here.

• Details of OVUM’s certification and listing can be found here.

• We’d love to hear from you with any feedback, please contact us directly at info@startwithovum.com