Starting IVF - did you tell work?

Hey! Yeah I told my company as soon as I was referred. They’ve been quite helpful with it all. My company class ivf the same with pregnancy so any appointments I’m paid a days work for if I’m on shift x

Hi. I also told mine, but I do think you will know your company best. At first I was worried it would affect my career progression/access to opportunities, but my team and managers have been incredibly supportive. I’m glad I told them as it has meant I don’t have to hide/lie about when I’m not feeling 100%, which has been particularly helpful after our failed transfer.

Thanks @Jodie @Anita hope you’re doing ok on your journeys. I’m thinking I will tell just my manager, to take the pressure off, don’t need added stress. I’m just a bit nervous about it being kept confidential, I’d want to tell people I want to and worry it would get shared. I might get some advice from my HR department

You definitely don’t need the added stress of your company. I’ve found that. I adjusted all my shift patterns and spoke with my line manager and just said I need to change things. He’s been quite good with any appointments I’ve had. I spoke with my hr, and they said it’s treated exactly as pregnancy, and they didn’t really have much in place for ivf. But like I said my line manager has been really helpful. Xx

I told my manager and I wish I could tell other people as Ive had to take loads of time off in the end (my immune system is crap so stims floored me) and even before that I’d known there would be some days I’d have to take for scans and egg collection and transfer but I didn’t know exactly when they’d be. So I had to be really cryptic like, I have to take medical leave that week but I don’t know what days etc and people were clearly worried about me so I also had to to be all don’t worry it’s nothing serious etc etc. my manager was pretty shit at managing other people’s expectations of my time which I think he should have done but luckily at least my company has designated fertility leave which I could take. I mainly just want to be as open about this as with any other medical issue but we’re only at the start of what could be a long journey and it’s so hard to tell how I’ll feel if I’m still going through this in a year or mores time, I just don’t think I could face it at work.

I told both my jobs (I'm a radiographer in the NHS and a lecturer further education) and they were both really helpful. The clinic was next to the hospital I worked at so could sort appointments easily, and the lecturing job was fine I only had to let them know in advance so they could cover my lessons if needed

I told my work when I was due to start treatment both times. I work for the NHS and they were very supportive of all the appointments and any time off I required due to the treatment

I had to tell mine due to the type Of work I do to enable me to attend appointments and to inject during stims. My company has an ivf policy in place and everything was kept confidential x

Yeah because you literally have to drop all appointments for it

Work was supportive but also was helpful with managing work load. Days are tough both emotionally and physically. Best to tell them so nobody puts unrealistic expectations on to you

I just told my manager as there were so many blood tests and scans before egg collection and then there is the egg collection and embryo transfer.

I decided not to tell my employer as I didn’t want to affect my career progression. I am luckily fully remote so it was easy for me to go to appointments. I injected at night and the only day I took off was for the egg collection. In hindsight I probably would have taken more time off during the process as I found it very emotionally exhausting and there were days that it was difficult for me to deal with work. Everyone’s experience of IVF is different I think the hardest part for me was the uncertainty.

I told my work because when I was doing my injections I had to have scans every other day so I told work so they’d understand. They were really supportive and I had Al of my scans first thing and went into work afterwards