BRIA: Spotlight from the Fertility and Wellness Collective

Interview by Meaghan Kay, Head of Marketing at myStoria

We believe collaboration, not competition will shape the future of fertility and wellness care. That belief is what inspired The Fertility & Wellness Collective, a group of visionary partners across healthcare, wellness, lifestyle, and advocacy who all share one mission: to put people at the center of their care.

We'll regularly spotlight one of our partners to explore how they're helping reshape the fertility experience. Today we're talking to BRIA about mental health and hormone care.

Q: How would you describe your approach to supporting women and families through their health journeys?

BRIA is a virtual care platform that provides mental health and hormone services to women and their partners across reproductive life stages. Our team is made up of psychiatrists, therapists, nurses, dieticians, and sleep therapists — providing services ranging from talk therapy and hormone assessments to ADHD assessments, mental health assessments, and sleep support.

Q: What gap in care did BRIA set out to fill and how has that evolved over time?

We're filling a gap in evidence-based mental health care, making quality services accessible for women at different stages of life — from trying to conceive, pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, and peri/menopausal.

Q: Reproductive health is rarely just about the physical experience. How does BRIA integrate mental health and emotional wellbeing into its care model?

This is one of the main reasons we founded BRIA back in 2022. Our co-founders are MD psychiatrists with decades of experience in reproductive mental health. Our team integrates mental health and emotional wellbeing in all our services and assessments, so we deeply understand both the science and the lived experiences of patients.

Q: You work with women across many life stages. What patterns or challenges do you see most often that people aren't talking about enough?

People come in talking about their physical health but not enough about their mental health! We are here to bridge that and have those tough conversations.

Q: What role do you see for digital tools like myStoria in extending or complementing the kind of care BRIA provides?

We created BRIA as a virtual clinic because we see the benefits of saving patients time and money and removing travel-related stress. myStoria is a great digital tool that complements BRIA's care by providing fertility tracking, symptom monitoring, and organizing medical records — it gives us the big picture. So when patients come into our clinic, our staff is ready to deliver more personalized attention and coordinated care.

Q: How do you ensure that every patient feels truly heard and supported especially when navigating complex or stigmatized health issues?

BRIA's coordinated, one-stop model prevents fragmented care. Our Care Coordinators are the first point of contact and stay connected with patients through their entire journey. Patients can book a free 15-minute call to learn more about our services. If they proceed to an appointment, our Care Coordinator will conduct a 30-minute MINI Mental Health Assessment that becomes part of their personalized care plan.

Q: How is BRIA helping bring forward conversations around the connection between mental health, hormones, and reproductive health?

BRIA was created to address the gaps women face in finding proper care that acknowledges the link between hormones, mental health, and major life transitions. Our psychiatrists specialize in reproductive mental health so we understand how to have these critical conversations. We also provide educational content, events, and expert-led discussions to help raise awareness.

Q: Why was joining the Fertility & Wellness Collective a natural fit for BRIA?

Many of our patients are going through their own fertility journey and we want to ensure they leave our clinic feeling supported and guided in the right direction.

Q: If you could change one thing about how our healthcare system approaches women's or reproductive health, what would it be?

Better access to informed healthcare providers who really understand women's mental health and hormone issues across the lifespan.

Q: What gives you hope about where we're headed for women's health, fertility, and overall wellbeing?

More women's health clinics are opening — showing a real shift towards prioritizing women's health. The Ontario government is making a $250 million investment to expand IVF access. Peri/menopause, fertility, and postpartum depression are now being talked about openly, and women are demanding answers to their questions. We want to be there to offer the expert care they deserve.

Visit betterbria.com and follow Dr. Ariel Dalfen, Dr. Bev Young, and Team on Instagram at @bria.health.

About the Fertility & Wellness Collective — The Collective brings together leaders redefining what whole-body, patient-centered fertility care can look like. Together, we're creating a connected ecosystem that bridges medical, emotional, and lifestyle support ensuring every person feels informed, empowered, and cared for. Learn more and join here.

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