Fertility treatment rarely fits neatly around working life. It can involve early morning scans, last minute appointments, medication that affects your body and mood, and long periods of waiting and uncertainty. All of this often happens quietly, while you are expected to keep performing as normal.
For many people, fertility challenges are invisible at work. Colleagues may have no idea what you are carrying alongside meetings, deadlines, and day to day responsibilities.
This piece is about navigating fertility treatment and complex fertility journeys at work. It covers your rights in the UK, how and whether to tell your employer, what may come up in the workplace, and how to protect your wellbeing while staying in work.
Understanding fertility challenges in the workplace
Fertility journeys can include IVF, IUI, egg or embryo freezing, recurrent miscarriage, unexplained infertility, or long periods of trying to conceive without treatment (see Glossary at the end of this post for defintions). These experiences are not just medical. They are emotional, logistical, and often financially draining.
Workplaces are often poorly equipped to support fertility treatment. Policies may be unclear or nonexistent, leaving employees to negotiate support informally and repeatedly. Recognising fertility challenges as a workplace issue rather than a private inconvenience can make a meaningful difference.
Your workplace rights in the UK
Fertility treatment sits in a grey area of UK employment law, which can make things feel confusing and unfair.
Key things to know about fertility treatment and work (UK):
- There is currently no automatic legal right to paid time off specifically for fertility treatment.
- Time off for fertility appointments or procedures is usually taken as annual leave, unpaid leave, or sick leave, depending on your employer’s policies (or a specific fertility policy, if one exists).
- If fertility treatment affects your physical or mental health (for example through medication side effects, surgery, anxiety, or depression), this may be covered under your employer’s sickness absence policy.
- Once you are pregnant, including through IVF or other fertility treatment, you are protected under pregnancy and maternity discrimination law from that point onwards.
- In some circumstances, sex discrimination protections may apply if fertility-related needs are treated unfairly. Disability discrimination protections may also apply in certain cases, depending on the medical impact.
- You can ask informally for flexibility around appointments and treatment cycles.
- You have a legal right to make a formal flexible working request from day one of employment.
- You are not required to disclose details of fertility treatment to colleagues.
- Fertility-related information should be handled confidentially by HR.
Deciding whether to tell your employer
Many people struggle with whether to disclose fertility treatment at work. Common concerns include being seen as unreliable, being overlooked for opportunities, or having private information shared more widely than intended.
You are not required to disclose detailed information. You can refer to medical treatment or health reasons without naming fertility treatment.
You may choose to:
- Tell HR rather than your line manager
- Ask for confidentiality and clarity about who will be informed
- Start with limited disclosure and share more only if needed
- Disclosure is not a one off decision. You can change what you share as your circumstances change.
Experiences with managers and HR during fertility treatment can be subjective, and often depend on the strength of those relationships, which is not always fair or consistent.
If it would help, document any agreed arrangements in writing, for example a short follow-up email confirming what was discussed, what was agreed, and any timeframes.It can also help to ensure a trusted colleague or senior leader is aware of what has been agreed, or
to keep your own dated record in case arrangements need to be revisited.
What might come up at work
Fertility treatment can affect work in ways that are not immediately visible, including:
- Fatigue, nausea, or pain linked to medication or procedures
- Emotional ups and downs related to hormones and uncertainty
- Difficulty planning ahead due to changing treatment timelines
- Stress around early morning monitoring appointments
- Emotional impact of pregnancy announcements or casual comments
Many people describe feeling as though they are living two parallel lives. One professional and composed, the other consumed by hope, disappointment, and waiting.
Flexible working and adjustments
You may need flexibility during fertility treatment. This could include later start times, remote working, reduced hours at certain points in a cycle, or flexibility around short notice appointments.
You can approach this informally by having a conversation with your manager about what you need. This often works well for temporary or short term changes.
You also have the legal right to make a formal flexible working request from day one of employment. A formal request must be made in writing and your employer must consider it and respond within a set timeframe.
Some people start with an informal conversation and move to a formal request if needed. Others prefer the clarity and protection of the formal process. Both approaches are valid.
Navigating fertility treatment alongside work
Supportive steps that may help include:
- Identifying one trusted person at work who understands what is going on
- Blocking calendar time for appointments without explanation
- Being realistic about capacity during treatment cycles
- Setting boundaries around conversations that feel triggering
- Reminding yourself that needing flexibility is not a failure
Fertility journeys are often long and unpredictable, shaped by waiting, uncertainty, and loss as much as hope. It is reasonable to need support along the way - from your workplace, your healthcare providers, and the people around you. Asking for flexibility, time, or understanding is not asking for special treatment; it is responding to a real and often invisible experience.
Glossary of terms
Fertility and treatment related termsEgg freezing
A process where eggs are collected and frozen for possible future use.
Embryo transfer
The stage of IVF where an embryo is placed into the uterus, followed by a waiting period before pregnancy can be confirmed.
Fertility treatment
Medical interventions used to support conception, including IVF, IUI, egg freezing, sperm freezing, and hormone treatment.
Hormone stimulation
Medication used to stimulate egg production. Side effects can include fatigue, nausea, bloating, anxiety, and mood changes.
IVF (in vitro fertilisation)
A treatment where eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body and one or more embryos are transferred to the uterus.
IUI (intrauterine insemination)
A treatment where sperm is placed directly into the uterus during ovulation.
Recurrent miscarriage
The experience of two or more pregnancy losses, which may or may not have an identifiable medical cause.
Unexplained infertility
A diagnosis given when no clear medical reason is found for difficulties conceiving.
Workplace and employment terms
Confidentiality
The obligation to handle personal and medical information sensitively and share it only where necessary.
Discrimination
Unfair treatment linked to a protected characteristic, which may include sex, pregnancy, or disability depending on circumstances.
Flexible working
Changes to working patterns such as hours, location, or days worked.
Formal flexible working request
A statutory request made in writing. Employers must consider the request and respond within a set timeframe.
Informal flexible working request
A non-statutory request made through a conversation with your manager.
Sick leave
Time off work due to illness or recovery. Side effects from fertility treatment may be covered under sickness absence policies.
Legal disclaimer
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Employment rights and workplace policies can vary, so you may wish to seek advice from HR, a union representative, ACAS, or a qualified legal professional based on your individual circumstances.