{"id":89420,"date":"2025-08-24T11:44:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T11:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/89420\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T11:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T11:44:19","slug":"the-workforce-crisis-impacting-up-to-50000-people-every-year-lifestyle-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/89420\/","title":{"rendered":"The workforce crisis impacting up to 50,000 people every year | Lifestyle Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Young
\n\t\tThe impact of fertility treatment on women\u2019s mental health often goes unrecognised within the workplace,why do women still feel unable to talk openly about IVF? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

When Karen Deulofeu discovered that the painless lump on her stomach \u2013 which had grown to the size of a large ball in just five months \u2013 was actually a life-threatening ovarian cyst<\/a>, it was a lot to take in.<\/p>\n

Not to mention that she would need surgery the same day to remove it<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t all. Karen\u2019s consultant then suggested she should consider a full hysterectomy<\/a> at the age of 25. <\/p>\n

Knowing she might want a family one day, Karen went against the idea \u2013 so was advised that she should start trying for a baby in the next couple of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The warning was hard to ignore, Karen tells Metro. Especially, as by the time she hit 27, she was working as a paralegal in a law firm and in no position to become a mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n

\u2018Although\u202foutwardly I was very social and climbing the\u202fcareer ladder<\/a>, I became obsessed\u202fwith my age and felt more broken as the years went on,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

By 2017, Karen was a senior project manager in a legal technology firm, married and ready to try for a baby. However after she and her husband had trouble conceiving naturally they went for IVF<\/a> treatment \u2013 which Karen, then 37, kept secret from her work colleagues.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tKaren began her IVF journey aged 37, more than a decade after being advised to undergo a full hysterectomy (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n

She was worried that if anyone knew, it might jeopardise her career progression or people might assume she would be more absent and less focused. <\/p>\n

So, Karen chose an IVF clinic near her office and tried to pick appointment times outside of work hours.\u00a0 \u2018Although it was a forward-thinking company, it still felt like a tightrope,\u2019 she admits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Calling it a process of huge unknowns, Karen remembers how fertility treatment made her job \u2018hard to manage\u2019, due to the timings involved in the cycle, from key appointments and scans to egg collection and transfer. <\/p>\n

Then there was the ongoing challenge of trying to remain \u2018normal\u2019 at work while experiencing a rollercoaster of hormones through treatment, alongside the emotional turmoil that goes hand in hand with IVF.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tKaren found it challenging to navigate the unpredictable highs and lows of IVF while remaining \u2018normal\u2019 at work (Picture: Luke O\u2019Shea Phillips)
\nA workplace crisis hiding in plain sight<\/p>\n

With around 52,500 people in the UK currently undergoing IVF, fertility experts are warning that a disconnect between employer support\u00a0and employee needs is having a huge effect on the workforce \u2013 from driving talent out to impacting staff mental health.<\/p>\n

In a recent report of over 1,000 UK-based employees and employers by <\/a>Fertility Matters at Work<\/a>, 38% of women said they have either left or considered leaving their job due to fertility challenges, while\u00a087% cited mental health problems such as depression or anxiety<\/a>, relating directly to treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tKaren reflects that her career unfolded in parallel with her ongoing fears about infertility (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n

\u2018This is not just a private issue \u2013 it\u2019s a workforce crisis hiding in plain sight,\u2019 Becky Kearns from Fertility Matters at Work said in the report. <\/p>\n

The length of time fertility treatment takes to be successful is, of course, not often straightforward and Dr Jo Perkins, a Chartered Coaching and\u00a0<\/a>Counselling Psychologist<\/a>\u00a0registered with The British Psychological Society (BPS), explains it can take its toll on even the most resilient person.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018The path to parenthood and treatment can be a grueling journey of pain, loss, hope, excitement, waiting, disappointment, stress, worry and grief. Quite often this can be cyclical, with repeated rounds of IVF,\u2019 she tells Metro.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore, going through the experience can be especially challenging at work, where pressures may be significant and expectations for attendance and performance levels high.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\u2018The path to parenthood and treatment can be a grueling journey,\u2019 says Dr Jo Perkins (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s often a very isolating and lonely experience because trying to start a family is a personal matter,\u2019 adds Dr Perkins. <\/p>\n

Karen, now 44,\u00a0 said the impact on her mental health<\/a> was significant. \u2018It\u2019s like constantly carry a bag of the world\u2019s most treasured possessions which could be snatched at any moment, but no one knows,\u2019 she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When her first round of fertility treatment failed, Karen had to deal with an added emotion: grief. \u2018The grief of needing IVF, of cycles not working, and the fear of not being a mother. It overtakes everything emotionally.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Info-graphic
\n\t\tFiguresfrom the Fertility Matters at Work report, which surveyed over 1,000 employees (Picture: Metro)
\n\u2018I developed PTSD\u2019<\/p>\n

Anita Guru endured five unsuccessful rounds of IVF with three different employers, after being diagnosed with endometriosis at 33. <\/p>\n

During her first few years of treatment, she was working as a learning and development manager in a large corporation. When her second round of IVF resulted in\u202fan ectopic pregnancy, Anita needed emergency surgery to remove a fallopian tube.<\/p>\n

\u2018I had a lot of therapy, but after the ectopic pregnancy, I really went into a decline. I didn\u2019t know I had developed PTSD<\/a>,\u2019 Anita, now 44, tells Metro.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tDespite the toll of IVF and an ectopic pregnancy on her mental health, Anita put on a brave face at work. (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n

She often considered leaving her job, but admits she stayed longer than she wanted as it offered her security while going through the cycles. However, Anita adds, it was a double-edged sword as it left her feeling like her career progression was being stunted. <\/p>\n

Over three years, she accumulated about six months\u2019 worth of sick leave related to IVF. When she was well enough to work, Anita would put on a brave face and hide any heartache, as she didn\u2019t want colleagues to know what she\u2019d been through.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I always felt guilty about having time off, so worked harder; I actually had my best performance rating during the year I had my second and third rounds of IVF,\u2019 she remembers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like Karen, Anita found it difficult managing treatment at work. \u2018There were times I had to inject in the toilets in the office and go to hospital appointments at lunchtime and on the way home from the office.\u2019<\/p>\n

After she landed a \u2018dream job\u2019 with a new employer in 2017, Anita\u2019s anxiety reached record highs and led to intense, long panic attacks, low moods and suicidal ideation.\u00a0Eventually, she was hospitalised \u2013 but as her new role was a contract, it simply wasn\u2019t renewed and she didn\u2019t have a job to return to. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tThree rounds of IVF took a significant toll on Anita\u2019s mental health, leading her to leave her corporate career to focus on her wellbeing (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n

After over a decade of juggling a corporate career with fertility treatment, in 2023 Anita decided to focus more on mental wellbeing and set up her own coach and training business.\u00a0She also stopped IVF.<\/p>\n

\u2018I couldn\u2019t put myself through the mental torture and trauma of going through repeated rounds,\u2019 she explains, adding that she\u2019s had \u2018much\u2019 therapy \u2018to work through 10-plus years of trying to become a mum, and on my purpose and value as a person because my self worth was wrapped up in becoming a mother.\u2019<\/p>\n

What needs to change\u00a0<\/p>\n

At present, there is no statutory right to time off in the UK for fertility appointments, and the Equality Act does not include protection for IVF. The Fertility Matters At Work report also shows that over half of employers did not have a standalone fertility treatment policy. Among those that do, 61% have it within their maternity policy, while nearly two thirds of respondents were unaware of any workplace fertility policy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Midsection
\n\t\tExperts urge employers to acknowledge the toll of fertility treatment to improve support for staff(Picture: Getty Images\/Maskot)<\/p>\n

Anita explains that while some of her employers had policies in place, others didn\u2019t \u2013 and while all were supportive, they could have allowed for more flexibility, such as working from home at key times.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Although we had various wellbeing initiatives, none were fertility-focused,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I recall feeling sneaky taking the time off. Educating line managers is also important to allow an empathetic and compassionate response with an enhanced understanding of the process.\u2019<\/p>\n

Karen adds that she felt conflicted about whether to continue advancing in her career or step back to focus on her family. \u2018It was really hard to be confident about my abilities in the workplace while at the same time feeling \u2018broken\u2019 inwardly,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

Know your rights\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also vital to understand legal rights in the workplace, says Anita, who now works as a coach and motivational speaker<\/a>. \u2018Once you\u2019ve had an embryo transfer, you have pregnancy rights.\u202fIf you tell your employer and they know you might be pregnant you\u2019re protected by law against pregnancy discrimination for two weeks after finding out an embryo transfer was unsuccessful.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\u2018There\u2019s still a sense of taboo and shame about fertility,\u2019 says Karen (Picture: Luke O\u2019Shea Phillips)<\/p>\n

Although Karen left the corporate world due to redundancy, she says that she had lost the passion for her career because of her fertility experience. \u2018What was important to me shifted,\u2019 she admits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After two rounds of IVF, Karen had her son in 2018 and retrained as Specialist Fertility, Pregnancy & Postnatal Coach<\/a> and started her own business to support people through fertility, pregnancy, postnatal and childlessness.<\/p>\n

Looking back on her journey trying to balance IVF and work, she says it would be \u2018amazing if employers were open to bringing in specialists to educate the wider teams on what fertility and IVF are.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s still a sense of taboo and shame about fertility that desperately needs to be lifted.\u2019<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n

\t\t\tComments
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Inside the rise of \u2018Reta\u2019 \u2013 the controversial new weight loss jab 3 times stronger than Ozempic<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: This Chinese walking technique won\u2019t get you far \u2014 but it could make you live longer<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Child bodybuilder \u2018Little Hercules\u2019 went viral in the 90s \u2013 but what is doing now?<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tNews Updates<\/p>\n

Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The impact of fertility treatment on women\u2019s mental health often goes unrecognised within the workplace,why do women still…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[84,1294,6270,242,4889,6272,4912,655,1906,50,2531,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-89420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-families","tag-features","tag-fertility","tag-in-focus","tag-ivf","tag-lifestyle","tag-mental-health","tag-news","tag-pregnancy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}