The Association of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Professionals
A UK first · For occupational health practitioners
Supporting employees through fertility treatment.
The first UK resource written specifically for occupational health practitioners on fertility treatment — clinical, occupational, psychological, and functional, held together at the point of referral.
27%
of UK employers have any fertility-related policy
CIPD, 2023
1 in 4
women undergoing IVF may meet criteria for depression (range 11–27%)
Scientific Reports, 2025
42%
feel pressure to remain at work throughout — highest in any country surveyed
Ferring / FMAW, 2025
2 in 5
leave or consider leaving their job because of treatment
FMAW / Ferring, 2025
The stimulated IVF cycle — understanding each phase at referral.
Down‑reg
~2–3 wks
Agonist protocols. May involve fatigue, mood change, cognitive change.
Stimulation
~10–12 days
Gonadotrophins. Near-daily monitoring appts. May involve bloating; capacity may be reduced.
Egg collection
1 day + recovery
Procedural. Usually a full absence day. OHSS risk in first 5–7 days.
Embryo transfer
Single day
Clinical shift. Employee is technically pregnant from this point.
Two-week wait
~14 days
Often the most psychologically demanding phase. Physical restriction may apply.
Result + after
Ongoing
Can be adjustment-heavy, depending on outcome. Load may be cumulative across cycles.
Short/antagonist protocols omit down-regulation · FET cycles omit stimulation and egg collection · Knowing the protocol helps calibrate support.
Referral presentations
When a fertility treatment case is likely to reach you.
- Repeated early-morning or same-day short absences that may be consistent with monitoring appointments
- Fit note citing stress, anxiety, or depression where fertility treatment is the undisclosed driver
- Proactive employee disclosure and request for formal adjustments
- HR seeking OH input following disclosure
- Post-procedure absence — egg collection or OHSS recovery
- Deterioration following negative outcome or pregnancy loss
What OH contributes
A functional-impact lens, calibrated to phase and role.
- Phase-by-phase characterisation of functional capacity across the cycle
- Quantified adjustments calibrated to role and phase — flexibility, lifting limits, screen-break cadence, remote-work windows, where relevant
- Recognition of fertility-related distress as possible functional disruption, with PHQ‑4 / GAD‑2 as brief screens where indicated
- Pre- / post-embryo-transfer status noted where clinically relevant
- A clinical view on functional impact relative to role demands, where the evidence supports it
- Cumulative load across cycles held in view — fatigue, cognitive bandwidth, recovery between attempts
Partner as referred employee
When a partner is referred to OH, the picture may look different from the person having treatment. Around 1 in 3 male partners meet criteria for a common mental disorder — which may show up at work more emotionally and cognitively than physically, depending on the individual.