Call for IVF patients to get time off work for treatment

People should have a legal right to take time off work for fertility treatment appointments, according to a report that found more than a third of patients had considered leaving their job owing to the physical and emotional strain.

- Rachel Hall

The campaign group Fertility Matters at Work is calling for IVF to be recategorised as a medical procedure, rather than an elective treatment equivalent to cosmetic surgery, in guidance for employers under the Equality and Human Rights Commission code of practice.

This would help tackle the stigma and lack of support in many workplaces and would mean employers could no longer refuse time off for appointments, the group said.

Fertility Matters at Work has published a report based on a survey of more than 1,000 UK-based employees who had undergone fertility treatment. It found that nearly all (99%) had experienced it as a major life event that had affected their mental wellbeing, while 87% reported anxiety or depression directly related to it, and 38% had left or considered leaving their job.