5 reasons why you should offer fertility support

Written by Peppy Health | January 9, 2021

It’s time employers start offering fertility support.

Here’s why.

Millennials are the largest sector of the UK workforce. They are prioritising their benefits and wellbeing over salary. Leading employers are taking note. Fertility support in the workplace is becoming more common. 25 % of workplaces are planning or considering offering enhanced benefits for fertility support in the next two years. “1 in 6 couples will be affected by fertility issues. It pays to be the kind of company that offers support”, says Francesca Steyn, Peppy’s Director of Fertility Services and Chair of the Royal College of Nursing Fertility Nurses’ Forum.

5 ways fertility is impacting your people and your business.

1. Fertility and talent attraction

“To attract and retain the best talent, fertility support should be a core part of your company culture,” says Francesca. “Your staff want to work for an employer that is supportive of their life goals as well as their professional ones”.

The pandemic has exposed a lack of suitable health benefits. This has led to the temporary closure of fertility clinics and delays in accessing fertility support. As we begin to return to normal, 33% of employees want their employer to prioritise health over lifestyle benefits.
Magic Circle law firm, Clifford Chance, is proving its support for employees’ future plans, recently becoming the first law firm in the UK to include fertility investigations and treatment in employees’ private medical insurance, following the popularity of specialist fertility support on the Peppy app.

2. Fertility and workplace wellbeing

Physical wellbeing: Fertility treatment can be gruelling. It can involve self-injected hormonal treatments, scans, surgical egg collection and embryo transplant. Physical side effects can include swollen ovaries, PMT symptoms, migraines, cramping and bleeding.

Plus, 1 in 10 women have endometriosis, and 1 in 5 have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) – both of which can have debilitating symptoms.

Mental wellbeing: “Fertility treatment is all-consuming, causing a lot of anxiety and depression. In fact 90 % of men and women struggling with their fertility experience feelings of depression and 42 % have stated that they felt suicidal,” says Francesca.

Approximately 25 % of pregnancies end in a miscarriage. “The miscarriage itself and the fear of miscarrying again can take a massive toll on mental health. HR policies should include a miscarriage policy too,” says Francesca.

Financial wellbeing: Today, standard IVF treatment costs between £4,000 and £8,000 per cycle (HEFA).

3. Fertility and productivity

“You can't concentrate if you’re going through fertility treatment, because you’re fretting about how you’re going to explain the next appointment to your boss or waiting to find out if the embryo transfer worked,” says Francesca.

85 % of people feel treatment has a negative impact on their work.
19 % have to reduce hours or leave the workplace altogether.
The average number of days’ absence taken per IVF cycle is 8.7 days.

The right support can make a huge difference. The results of a pilot of Peppy Fertility showed 96 % of employees said they would feel more positive about their employer if they were offered specialist fertility support (2020).

4. Fertility and your LGBTQ+ community

In the past 5 years, the number of same-sex families has grown by over 50 %. LGBTQ+ colleagues have a much higher chance of needing support when starting or growing a family, yet most LGBTQ+ people don't qualify for NHS funding for IVF. “Conception often involves fertility treatments as well as donor sperm, donor eggs or surrogacy. It’s a huge journey in terms of mental and physical challenges. It’s often tricky to find the right information”, says Francesca. Supporting your LGBTQ+ community is good for everyone. 72 % of allies say they’re more likely to accept a job at a company that’s supportive of LGBTQ+ employees.

5. Fertility and men

40-50 % of infertility issues are due to male-factor infertility. “It really takes a toll on men,” says Francesca. “They can become very withdrawn. They feel they can’t join in with the banter”. “There can be self-esteem issues and shame,” says Francesca. These emotions are often carried from home into the workplace. Fertility is not a women’s issue; it’s a workplace issue that can affect every area of your rising talent.

Final notes

With NHS wait times at a record high, there couldn’t be a better time for employers to step up and support their employees through their fertility journey – whatever stage they’re at.

“Think about updating or introducing a fertility policy. Extend your private medical insurance to cover fertility and offering your colleagues specialist help via a digital healthcare solution, like the Peppy app, so they can access support even while they’re working remotely,” says Francesca. “Make sure your policies and your work environment are inclusive, and that you’re signposting the organisations that can help.”

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