As a sociologist of reproduction who has spent the last two decades exploring the fertility journeys of people struggling to conceive, I know just how much infertility can wreak havoc on a person’s life. This week, a new study published by Fertility Network UK, has highlighted the many ways in which the condition and its associated treatment can have a detrimental impact on not only a patient’s mental health and their relationships, but also their work life.
Disturbingly, 40% of respondents said they experienced suicidal feelings and 83% felt sad, frustrated and worried often or all of the time. “Fertility patients encounter a perfect storm,” Gwenda Burns, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, notes, and often can’t access the support they need.
I was most struck, however, by the study’s focus on patients’ work lives: more than a third felt their career was damaged as a result of fertility treatment, and 84% said their work and ability to concentrate were affected. Despite this, only a quarter reported supportive workplace policies, and those who reported inadequate support and lack of reasonable adjustments from their employer also had significantly higher levels of distress.
I recognise these themes from my own research. The difficulties of infertility and fertility treatments are exacerbated when also juggling a demanding job, particularly for those in full-time employment. Many feel fearful about disclosing their needs to employers, or asking for adjustments to pursue what can be onerous medical treatment, because they don’t want to be judged or penalised, overlooked for promotion or pigeonholed as unreliable. As a result, many suffer in silence, and more than a third consider quitting.
But even those who are open may not receive the support they need. Anna (a pseudonym), a senior marketing professional in a large organisation, had two miscarriages last year; each time she told her employer and took sick leave. Despite this, she felt “under enormous pressure to act ‘business as usual’’. In addition, Anna says she feels “stuck” in her current role, unable to take advantage of promotion opportunities because “the thought of starting a new job on top of IVF feels like too much to take on”.
As someone who spent years trying to become a mother, I deeply empathise with Anna’s concerns and those raised by the survey. In the end, I was one of the lucky ones: IVF gave me my precious baby, the sunshine and joy of my life. But despite that beautiful outcome, the years of infertility, pregnancy loss and fertility treatment continue to cast a shadow on my psyche. They have also undeniably hurt my career, because it is simply not possible to put your all into work when fertility treatment demands so much of you.
For me, it was not the mundane daily indignities – such as injecting myself with drugs in toilet cubicles, or making up excuses to sneak away for scans – that felt the most difficult. The necessity to mask the rollercoaster of feelings associated with IVF and to stay professionally productive during the most emotionally challenging period of my life proved far more taxing. Only a few months into my dream job, I miscarried my desperately wanted IVF twins. Despite feeling entirely broken, I felt I had no option but to plough on as if nothing had happened, as I know thousands of other working women do after miscarriage each year. It wasn’t until the pandemic enabled me to work from home, giving me the flexibility and space to sufficiently prioritise my treatment needs, that, after four miscarriages, I finally carried a baby to term.
Several big UK employers, including NatWest, Co-op and Channel 4 have now committed to a new, voluntary fertility workplace pledge, which gives employees the right to request flexible working and reasonable adjustments to attend IVF appointments. With one in six heterosexual couples experiencing infertility and increasing numbers of same-sex and single persons using assisted reproduction to build their families, many will feel it’s high time that businesses updated their policies.
But, as Becky Kearns, one of the founders of Fertility Matters at Work, a company that specialises in helping organisations become more fertility-friendly, tells me: “It is not just about putting a policy in place: organisations need to commit to a cultural shift.” Infertility is a medical condition and it must be acknowledged as one; more supportive work environments will not only benefit employees but also improve retention rates and attract the best talent to the businesses and organisations that employ them.
Zeynep Gurtin is a lecturer at UCL, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and a fertility consultant
