As someone who underwent three rounds of IVF while in the workplace, I wasn’t shocked by new research from insurer Zurich UK which found that over half of UK women don’t disclose their IVF treatment to employers for fear of losing their jobs. Nor that almost a third of women think that revealing their IVF status would put their job at risk.
Not so long ago I was one of those women who didn’t tell my boss the fact that I was undergoing fertility treatment because I feared it would be career suicide. I was working on a magazine, a job that I loved, but privately I was struggling with infertility.
Shortly after getting married, my husband and I began trying for a baby. When this proved fruitless, and tests showed it was likely I had PCS (polycystic ovary syndrome) I was eventually referred for IVF. Fortunately, we qualified for one round of IVF funded by the NHS and we opted to have it at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London – primarily so that it would be closer to my office.
I was far from alone in trying to juggle fertility treatment and a job. ‘Around 60,000 patients have fertility treatment every year and many of these patients will have been going through treatment while working,’ says Clare Ettinghausen, from the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority).
When we went for our first IVF appointment in January 2012 it was made very clear that success was by no means guaranteed and so I made the decision not to tell my bosses as I began the treatment. This was in no way a reflection on them – I was fortunate to have incredibly supportive bosses - but still I was overcome with fear. Would the knowledge that I was having fertility treatmentput a red flag against my name and destroy my chance of any future career development?
Although I desperately wanted to become a mum, I also wanted a career. Plus, I needed my salary to pay off my mortgage and student loans. So, with this fear hanging over me, as well as the fear that the treatment would fail, I went to early morning hospital appointments before rushing to be in the office for 10am as normal.
The IVF involved week after week of injections, appointments, internal scans, and worry. Fortunately, I was extremely lucky. After having two embryos transferred, one was successful. Ironically, on the day I was told that I was pregnant, I was also given a promotion at work. My fear had been entirely unwarranted.
Sadly, though the same can’t be said for many other women and men.
Joeli Brearley, founder and CEO of charity Pregnant Then Screwed told me: ‘Unfortunately, the law does not protect people effectively enough. You only gain legal protection from unfavourable treatment once you are pregnant; you are not protected when you are undergoing treatment. This leaves women in a very vulnerable position.’
Which is why MP Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) has introduced to parliament a Private Member’s Bill – the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill – seeking better workplace protection for women going through IVF. And this week, joined forces with national charities and organisations to write and launch the landmark “Fertility Workplace Pledge”.
As part of it, major UK employers including Metro Bank, NatWest Group, Co-op, Channel 4, and UK Hospitality have signed up to a set of simple and voluntary commitments, designed to benefit millions of individuals and couples going through fertility treatment.
‘Infertility affects millions of people in the UK; the reality is they fall across all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, and a substantial number going through treatment are working-age people,’ says Nickie. ‘It’s unacceptable in today’s day and age that the issue is still taboo in the workplace and in society in general. Not only are employees having to deal with multiple cycles, side effects and complications in silence, I’ve heard of women injecting themselves in the toilets at work, just so their bosses don’t find out. It’s 2022, not 1922.’
Becky Kearns, co-founder of Fertility Matters At Work says: ‘First, fertility treatment is not a lifestyle choice, it is an only choice for some when they want a baby. Trust us, no one would choose to go through it...ever.
‘Despite being in its fifth decade, fertility treatment is still shrouded in secrecy and equally met with ignorance and apathy from those who have never come across it. The lack of any statutory provision means that it is a hushed voice in a sea of many worker demands. Employment law doesn’t really recognise it. Therefore, it isn’t a “reason” to have time off work.’
I consider myself extremely fortunate that my first round of IVF was successful, and my son was born in December 2012. In the years that followed I had two subsequent rounds of privately funded IVF before conceiving my second child naturally in 2015. During that time I was self-employed so I didn’t have the worry of hiding it from an employer, however many people don’t have that choice. And infertility is hard enough. It’s time to break the taboo and ensure there are better protections in place.