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Tuesday, 21 April 2020 15:19

Empowering Employees: Fertility Support in the Workplace

Infertility is more common that type 2 diabetes yet the support and resources in the workplace do not meet the need.

Fertility treatment is on the increase in the U.K., approaching 68,000 treatment cycles carried out every year and approximately 1 in 6 couples (3.5 million people) affected. One in 8 women of reproductive age may face problems when trying to conceive a child, which makes infertility more common than Type 2 diabetes. In 2015, 73,000 babies were born using assisted reproductive technologies, a number that has doubled in the last decade. But, it is still being treated as a niche issue.

Michelle Obama, upon the release of her memoir in late 2018, revealed that she and her husband Barack Obama had used IVF to conceive their daughters and opened up the public discourse around infertility. However, there are no clear workplace policy guidelines on the kind of support that individuals undergoing fertility treatments should expect to receive. Paid paternity and maternity leave has been a subject of discussion and debate in recent years, therefore aiming to make workplaces more inclusive for parents, and women in general. But, fertility treatments have been largely seen as a private matter, and not the subject of robust policy discussions.

In most cases, infertility is surrounded by silence and stigma and women, in particular, are reluctant to share this in the workplace, for fear of being stereotyped. In general, women already face a number of barriers and biases in the workplace. Mothers specifically face a motherhood penalty even before they have a child. In a study published in the American Psychological Association, Eden King shows that discrimination starts the moment a woman announces that she is pregnant. Women encountered more subtle discrimination in the form of rudeness, hostility, decreased eye contact and attempts to cut off the interaction when they appeared to be pregnant (wearing a pregnancy prosthesis) while applying for jobs in retail stores than when the same women did not appear to be pregnant. Implicit unconscious biases and stereotypes are at play here, as women are being penalized for acting out of their feminine stereotype. The study shows that these acts of subtle sexism and microaggressions starting when a woman announces their pregnancy puts her firmly on the "mommy track" and can have a huge impact on her decision to leave the workforce. Women who become mothers also earn less than their childless peers.

Therefore, many women might make the decision to not share their infertility treatment with their employers and managers. I certainly did not. I was the only woman of color, and even as a senior academic in a largely white male dominated workplace, I had faced microaggressions. Infertility can come as a huge surprise and shock, and I did not feel ready to share this with the wider world. But, more importantly, I was unsure of how my line managers would react to the news that I was actively trying to have a child. I was fearful of the impact this would have on the opportunities that would be available to me for leadership in the workplace, and that people would judge me and assume that I was not as committed to my career. Academia in particular was very unsupportive of mothers, and any flexible working options even until a few years ago. When I enquired in confidence with HR, I was informed that there was no fertility treatment workplace policy. Nor did they have any knowledge of the process of fertility treatments and the need to take time off for surgeries and post-ops, and neither did they have any understanding of the huge mental and physical impact that fertility treatments can have. I was fitting in injections and doctor appointments around my work commitments. When the treatment was unsuccessful, I was unable to share this with my managers, and faced a traumatic time trying to cope with the devastating news while engaging as normal with students and colleagues. When I finally gathered the confidence to share this with my line manager, who was also a woman, she was sceptical and asked me why I was trying to become pregnant when I already had a child. I was also told in no uncertain terms that I had a job to do.

Infertility is not solely a woman’s issue, but it is still seen as one. Even though male factor infertility is the root of 40-50% of infertility cases in straight couples, it’s often women who have to undergo much more extensive evaluations and medical procedures in order to become pregnant.

The emotional impact of a fertility treatment is huge, and still largely sidelined in any discussions about fertility or workplace inclusivity. Fertility Network’s Impact of Fertility Problems survey in 2016 revealed 90% of people were depressed and 42% suicidal. IVF is also time-consuming with multiple appointments at often distant clinics, and also has a huge financial impact in most cases. According to Fertility Network, “women having fertility treatment experience conflict between the demands of work and the time and emotional demands of treatment.”

Workplace support is crucial for managing this conflict but sadly this is typically lacking. The lack of clarity around workplace guidelines for infertility can be confusing for the employees as well as the employers. While writing this article, I contacted a number of companies but did not get any clear answers on what their fertility treatment policy was. In most instances, I was told that it is assessed on a case by case basis. There is certainly a need for a context-specific evaluation, but it is also true that when it is left to individual managers, there is more opportunity for workplace discrimination and bias.

One such initiative is the Fertility in Workplace drive that has been aimed at supporting workplaces in formulating a policy that supports individuals while they undergo fertility treatments in a compassionate manner, so that they do not suffer additional stress or face a negative impact on their career prospects. Creating a feeling of trust in the workplace, where employees have a true sense of belonging is crucial to create a truly inclusive workplace. We need to share more stories, have a more concerted effort for more inclusive workplace policy, and more empathy and compassion in the workplace for women going through IVF.

There is a lot of work to be done in this area, so that women do not feel stigmatised or judged during a time when they are already suffering huge mental, physical and financial ramifications.

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I am very satisfied with the medical services. Coordinator Lyubov was always in touch, answered any questions quickly and clearly, and helped in any difficult situations. The level of personal support and genuine concern for my health and well-being was 100 percent. I am very pleased that I am going through the surrogacy program with this agency. I feel protected and confident. I really like the attitude of the agency, timely payments, and the curator and manager make sure that pregnant girl...
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I am very pleased to meet such beautiful and kind people Hello everyone, I'm Myroslava and I'm going through my SM program at the Delivering Dreams agency. I want to express a big thank you to the girls who cooperate with me, who worry about my condition, who are always in touch, and who always support me - Omelchuk Lyubov and Anna Levchenko. I've already been to a program and therefore I have something to compare it with, this agency and the staff are at the highest level. And also the doct...
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Myroslava
Hallo Oksana,  vielen Dank für Deine ausführliche Erklärung. Wir haben alles gut verstanden. Das zeichnet due Arbeit von Euch und Eurem Ärzteteam aus. So kann man gut vertrauen. Hello Oksana, Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. We understood everything well. This is what distinguishes the work of you and your medical team. This is a good way to trust.
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Thank you very much Dear Oksana, Thank you very much for the great news. We still can't believe it and are totally speechless. The work you do under these difficult conditions cannot be put into words. Thank you very much for that. Liebe Oksana, vielen Dank für die super schöne Neuigkeit. Wir können es noch gar nicht glauben und sind total sprachlos. Was Ihr für eine Arbeit leistet, unter den schweren Bedingungen,  kann man nicht in Worte fassen. Vielen herzlichen Dank dafür.
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Very friendly, pleasant team I am very grateful to the international surrogacy agency Delivering Dreams for such a short period of experience that dispelled all doubts and the remains of incomprehensible questions that were before and during this program, but I had a wonderful curator Lyuba who did not leave me for a second even on distances?❤️ This is how experienced, pleasant, kind woman you want to go to the program at least immediately after finishing the first one! Very friendly, pleasa...
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Thank you for the wonderful experience and the opportunity to help future parents. I also want to thank Lyubov Omelchuk (Delivering Dreams) for her kindness and empathy, she was always in touch throughout the program, especially since the rehabilitation course is based on the supervision and advice of the curator. My worries about the procedure were in vain because everything went perfectly, thanks to the 24/7 support of the curator and qualified doctors Дякую за чудовий досвід, та змогу...
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Angelina
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Nastya

Under Ukrainian law, surrogacy is a legal affordable option for traditionally married couples to have children using their own embryos, or with either an egg or sperm donor. There must be a medical reason you can’t carry a child. You are also able to participate if you have had 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts.

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Under Ukrainian law, surrogacy is a legal affordable option for traditionally married couples to have children using their own embryos, or with either an egg or sperm donor. There must be a medical reason you can’t carry a child. You are also able to participate if you have had 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts.