Women quietly navigating reproductive challenges while also trying to keep on top of their workloads lack support, fuelling calls for dedicated leave to help people stay in their jobs.
Marianne Marchesi endured years of undiagnosed endometriosis and fertility treatments while running her Melbourne-based commercial law firm Legalite.
After the eventual birth of her son, who is now four, Ms Marchesi returned to work and restructured her company leave policies to ensure employees were covered if they experienced similar challenges.
"I was determined to create a workplace where no one has to go through the added stress of navigating their career while also navigating fertility treatment, because it's already hard enough," she told AAP.
"(Reproductive leave) shouldn't be seen as a perk, but a strategy to keep women in the workforce and contribute to shattering the glass ceiling."
Her firm's policy covers a broad range of conditions and treatments, including endometriosis, perimenopause, gender-affirming care, IVF and vasectomies.
Legalite employees are entitled to 12 days of extra leave each year to use without providing a medical certificate.
While Ms Marchesi was open about her own experience, she doesn't expect people to share if they don't feel comfortable doing so.
On average, Australians are increasingly having children later in life and age is a significant factor affecting fertility.
About one in six Australian couples experience related challenges, a figure on the rise according to the Fertility Society of Australia.
Almost two in five Australian employees have left or considered leaving their job while undergoing fertility treatment, according to an international survey of more than 3600 workers by Ferring Pharmaceuticals.
Almost 90 per cent said they would be attracted to a role in an organisation that provided fertility support, but 40 per cent said there were no such entitlements at their workplace.
"Fertility treatment is a challenging time, yet the report shows that many people are still navigating it without the support they need, from manager training and awareness to entitled leave," Fertility Matters at Work co-founder Becky Kearns said.
"More workplace recognition and clearer fertility policies could make a huge difference for individuals and organisations, with those who feel supported less likely to leave their jobs."
Australia loses more than $21 billion in productivity every year due to absenteeism, but a report by the Health Services Union (HSU) found providing workers with one day of reproductive leave a month would significantly mitigate that cost.
It pointed to success stories abroad, noting reproductive leave policies in countries such as Japan and Italy have reduced absenteeism and staff turnover.
The HSU has called for a 12-day reproductive leave policy that would cost $1.7 billion annually, or $140 per worker.
Many businesses might think reproductive leave was difficult to implement, but in reality it wasn't a great imposition, Ms Marchesi said.
"But it's also really important to have structures and culture to support the policy ... otherwise it is just words on paper."
