Do you know how fertility treatments and fertility benefits work and are you comfortable talking to your colleagues about it? Ahead of the Make A Difference webinar on 8th February which they are sponsoring, Apricity have shared 10 practical tips to get you thinking about the questions you’d particularly like us to address.
1. Arm yourself with the facts
From research which Apricity conducted they found:
- 61% of respondents expect their employer to cover the cost of their treatment, either in full or partially, but only 17% of UK employers currently offer this health benefit
- 82% would only consider working for an employer that offered fertility benefits if they were looking to do IVF again.
- One round of IVF costs one sixth the average household income of respondents (£31,400).
- 8 in 10 consider stopping, while 4 in 10 drop out mid-process (before they’ve completed the recommended 3 cycles).
- More than 1 in 3 (38%) had to take time off for IVF under annual leave.
- Half (47%) didn’t tell friends/family about their IVF treatments, the biggest reason (52%) being shame and embarrassment.
- 50% said they found IVF just as, if not more, stressful than the bereavement of a close loved one, while 62% said it would be worse than losing their job
2. Testing and diagnosis
Experts recommend checking your fertility if you have been trying to conceive for more than six months and you’re over 35, or if you’ve been trying to conceive for more than 12 months and are under 35. Remember that infertility is not always down to the woman (see male infertility in point 7). You can also find more details by the following links: Female and male; Male and male; Female and female; Solo parents.
3. Consider the fertility predictor tool
Apricity’s advanced predictor tool allows you and your colleagues to discover their fertility potential. Get personalised insights for empowering your path to parenthood. Participants will be asked questions about age, diet, BMI and other indicators to help build a picture of individual fertility.
4. What is IVF and how does it work?
The most well-known procedure to boost fertility is In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). With IVF, eggs and sperm are combined in a lab. Successfully fertilised embryos are transferred back into the woman’s uterus to grow in the womb, and surplus embryos can be frozen for future cycles. There are blogs with more details on Apricity’s website here.
5. Other types of fertility treatment
While IVF is the best known method of treatment, it is not always the most suitable. A fertility clinic will create a personalised plan for each patient depending on their needs, which may include IVF or any of the following other methods: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); Intrauterine Insemination (IUI); Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).
6. Fertility options for same-sex couples
Infertility doesn’t discriminate. If your company is committed to inclusivity, you will want to provide fertility care for everyone regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity. There is a range of inclusive benefits to support your LGBTQ+ employees, including: Surrogacy for LGBTQIA+ people;
Shared motherhood and reciprocal IVF; Fertility care for trans and non-binary people.
7. All about male infertility
Infertility is often seen as a female problem, but male issues are the most common reasons for IVF in the UK, playing a role in 50% of cases. As well as sperm quality, men can play a pivotal emotional support role in an often stressful process.
Read this article to find out about male infertility and its causes, how to assess and improve sperm rates, how to access useful related resources and how to speak to an Apricity nurse
8. Egg freezing and donation
There are many options when it comes to those who need an egg donor or would like to preserve their own fertility until a later date. Examples vary and range from ‘social’ egg freezing (for those who are not ready to start a family yet) to people with endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places), to those undergoing cancer or hormone treatments. See the links below for more information on: Becoming an egg donor; How IVF with donor eggs works; Egg, sperm or embryo freezing
9. Options for single parents
The volume of information around solo pregnancy can feel daunting. The good news is that thanks to science, there are plenty of pathways available, regardless of your gender identity, relationship status and medical history. Treatments usually apply across profiles, including single women, two women in a relationship, and trans men.
There are several ways to get yourself pregnant without a man including IVF and IUI. This guide from Apricity explains all.
10. How a fertility benefit works
Apricity offers at-home testing and scans to minimise disruptions to work, and end-to-end advice and counselling. Typically just 0.7 to 2% of a workforce uses the benefit at around £15K per treatment, so it is a cost-effective way to show that you care for the mental health and financial wellbeing of your staff.
You can find out more about how Apricity works as a fertility benefit here.
You can also find out more by joining our free-to-attend, interactive Make A Difference webinar, sponsored by Apricity, from 10.00am – 11.00am on 8th February. Find full details and register here.
We welcome your questions in advance of the webinar as it helps us to make sure the content that we cover is as timely and relevant as possible. Please send your questions to [email protected].
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