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Fertility Treatment and Work: The Conversation Women Deserve to Have

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What Every Woman Navigating This Process Needs to Know


Hello and welcome to this week's WOOT blog. This one is for every woman who has attended a fertility appointment on her lunch break and eaten a sandwich at her desk on the way back, pretending nothing happened. Who has managed the hormonal effects of IVF treatment whilst chairing a meeting, delivering a presentation or caring for others in her work. Who has dealt with devastating news in a clinic and returned to her role the same afternoon because there was no other option.


It is for the woman doing all of this in silence, because the culture of her workplace, or her own sense of what is and is not appropriate to share, has made silence feel like the only reasonable choice.


And it is a recognition that this silence has a cost: to women's health, to their working lives and to every organisation or setting that has not yet created the conditions for this conversation to happen.


Fertility Treatment and Work: The Scale of What Women Are Managing


  • 1 in 6 couples in the UK experience fertility problems. The majority of the medical and emotional burden falls on women.

  • An IVF cycle involves multiple clinic appointments, often at short notice, hormone injections, physical side effects including bloating, fatigue and pain, and significant psychological stress throughout.

  • The average number of IVF cycles before a successful pregnancy is two to three. Each cycle can take several weeks. Many women go through this process multiple times, across months or years.

  • There is currently no statutory right to time off work for fertility treatment in the UK. Women must use annual leave, sick leave or the goodwill of whoever they work for or with.

  • Research consistently shows that the psychological impact of fertility treatment is comparable to the stress of a cancer diagnosis. Almost none of the women experiencing it are receiving equivalent support at work.


Why the Silence Is So Pervasive


Fertility is intensely personal. The process involves the body, relationships, grief and hope in ways that very few other medical experiences do. Many women choose not to share because they do not want to be perceived as distracted, unreliable or less committed to their work. Others are managing the possibility of loss and cannot carry the weight of other people's responses alongside their own.


The absence of a statutory right to fertility treatment leave in the UK means that every woman navigating this process is doing so without a formal safety net, relying instead on individual managers, individual policies and individual goodwill. That is true whether you are employed, self-employed, on a zero-hours contract or working in any other arrangement.


What the Law Currently Says


  • If your fertility treatment results in pregnancy, your pregnancy rights apply from the point of embryo transfer, not from a positive test.

  • If fertility treatment or its side effects affect your ability to work, you may be entitled to sick leave under your employer's normal policy. From April 2026, statutory sick pay applies from the first day of illness with no waiting period.

  • If the psychological or physical impact of fertility treatment amounts to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, your employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments.

  • Flexible working rights apply regardless of the reason. You do not need to cite fertility treatment to request adjusted hours or remote working.


Several campaign groups are actively pushing for statutory fertility treatment leave in the UK, a right that already exists in some form in other countries. The conversation is moving, but the protection does not yet exist in law.



Explore More with Women of Our Time



What Can Help Women Managing Fertility Treatment at Work


  1. Know what your employer's policy actually says – Many organisations have fertility policies that employees never discover because they are not widely communicated. Before assuming there is no support, check. Some employers offer paid time off for appointments, access to counselling or temporary adjustments to workload. These provisions exist in more workplaces than most women realise.


  1. Think carefully about disclosure before deciding – Whether to tell your employer, manager or colleagues about fertility treatment is entirely your choice. There is no obligation. If you do decide to share, being clear about what you need from the conversation, practical adjustments, emotional understanding or simply an explanation for appointments, makes it easier to have on your terms.


  1. Use flexible working rights proactively – You can request flexible working without disclosing the reason. If adjusted start times, the ability to work from home on certain days, or a temporary change to your hours would help you manage appointments and recovery, a formal request creates an obligation on your employer to consider it seriously.


  1. Protect your own mental health as a priority – The psychological toll of fertility treatment is significant and cumulative. Many women underinvest in their own emotional support during this period. Your GP can refer you to counselling. Fertility Network UK and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority both have resources. And finding community with other women navigating this, in a space where honesty is safe, can make an enormous difference.


  1. Give yourself permission to not be fully present all of the time – Fertility treatment is a significant, ongoing medical process that affects your body, your emotions and your concentration. The expectation that you will perform at full capacity throughout is not reasonable. Recognising that and adjusting your own expectations is not a failure. It is realism.


A Final Word


The fact that so many women go through fertility treatment largely in silence at work is not a reflection of what is appropriate. It is a reflection of how far working life has still to travel in its recognition of the full range of women's experiences.


If you are in this process right now, you are navigating something genuinely hard. The professionalism with which you are doing it does not mean it is not hard. Both things are true.



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Fertility Treatment and Work: FAQs


Q. Do women have a right to time off for fertility treatment in the UK?

A. There is currently no statutory right to paid time off specifically for fertility treatment in the UK. Your employer can require you to use annual leave or, if you are unwell as a result of treatment, sick leave. Some employers have voluntary fertility policies that go further. Campaign groups are actively pushing for change, but the statutory protection does not yet exist.

A. No. You can speak to your GP about the impact of treatment on your health and your GP can provide a sick note without specifying the details. You can request flexible working without giving a reason. You do not owe anyone a medical history. Share what is necessary to get the support you need, and nothing more.

A. Pregnancy loss at any stage is a profound grief. You are entitled to bereavement support under your employer's policy if one exists, and to sick leave if you are physically or psychologically unwell. Your GP can support you. The Miscarriage Association and Tommy's both have specific resources for people who have experienced loss during fertility treatment. Please do not feel you need to manage this alone.

A. Document what has happened. Speak to HR if you have not already. Seek advice from ACAS or a solicitor before making any decisions about your employment. You should not have to choose between your health and your livelihood.

A. Fertility Network UK (fertilitynetworkuk.org) offers a helpline, peer support groups and resources. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (hfea.gov.uk) has information on treatment options and clinics. Your GP is the first port of call for referrals and medical support. And the Womeniverse™ is a space where conversations about health and work can happen honestly and without judgement.


 
 
 

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