IVF – how will it affect my career?  

How IVF impacts on your work

 

The physical, mental and emotional side effects of IVF have a huge impact on your concentration and performance at work.

• Fertility treatment is physically tough to endure, involving:
• self-injected hormonal treatments,
• scans
• surgical egg collection
• and embryo transplant.

  Side effects can include swollen ovaries, PMT symptoms, migraines, cramping and bleeding. There’s also the stress and worry involved in trying to conceive. And costs can be huge with standard IVF treatment costing between £4,000 and £8,000 per cycle (HEFA). Says Francesca: “Fertility treatment is all-consuming, causing a lot of anxiety and depression”. Having to put in a good day’s work while all this is happening to you can be a struggle, to say the very least. Especially if you can’t tell your boss why you have to take time off for appointments. “And while you’re going through IVF you've got one eye on the ball and one on what's happening medically,” says Francesca.

 

Offering Support

But employees often feel they can’t say why, for fear of the judgement attached to it, and fears about impact on career progression. “While working in IVF clinics I've been in situations where people have asked me to write a sick note for their employers without being specific about what's going on, just that it’s a gynaecological procedure,” says Francesca.   85% of people feel fertility treatment has a negative impact on their work and 19% have to reduce hours or leave the workplace altogether. In fact, 8.7 days is the average number of days’ absence taken per IVF cycle. Offering company support can really make a difference – in fact 96% of employee said they would feel more positive about their employer if they were offered specialist fertility support, following a pilot of Peppy Fertility support (2020). Says Francesca: “Peppy provides an opportunity to support people on the fertility journey and fill the information gap once they’re outside of the clinic”.  

 

Getting support at work

 

Tell your line manager

“Be open about what you are going through if you feel you can, or if not tell your HR department. Being able to say: ‘I’m going to start IVF treatment and will need time off’ is a huge relief for someone going through it,” says Francesca.

 

Look for the right support

Find out about the support pathway for employees going through fertility treatment. Many companies have a fertility policy and some even extend private medical insurance to cover fertility. You can also get specialist support and advice via the Peppy app from a team of fertility practitioners.  

 

Time off – what to expect

Fertility treatment involves a lot of absences from work to attend appointments – scans, tests and monitoring as well as surgical procedures. And it really is best to tell your company why you need so much time off – because the alternative could potentially mean being seen as being seen as flaky and uncommitted for having so much unexplained time off.

 

Asking for help

Being clear about the treatment you’re receiving will ultimately mean getting the help and support you need. And if it’s your partner who’s having treatment don’t forget that IVF can take its toll on you too. Your employer should be made aware. Whatever the outcome of the treatment, don’t ask more of yourself than you can cope with. Have the time off needed and the wellbeing of you both the priority as you manage your work-life balance while undergoing IVF.  

 

 

Conclusion

IVF is a journey that will impact you and your partner in both your personal life and at work. Remember, everyone’s journey is different. With the right preparation and by talking openly with your workplace, we hope you will be able to juggle IVF and your career, whatever the outcome.