Fiona Cowell: Workplaces can do much better supporting women going through fertility, IVF treatment

Thankfully, we've come a long way since my pioneering Monash IVF predecessors achieved the world's first IVF pregnancy in Melbourne in the early 1970s.

While starting a family still isn't easy for one in six Australian couples, new research we commissioned to mark our 50-year anniversary found for some women sharing their fertility struggles continues to be an uncomfortable conversation.

While the vast majority of women we surveyed told us they would confide in someone - partners and GPs being the people they would most turn to for support - less than 10 per cent said they would be comfortable telling their boss or work colleagues they were having trouble conceiving.

The good news is that this is actually an improvement from similar research we did in 2020 that found just 4 per cent of women would tell their workplace if they were struggling to fall pregnant.

Last year Spotify introduced new benefits to support employees worldwide who need to have IVF or related fertility treatments, but the music-streaming organisation is just one of a handful of companies operating in Australia that have put in place family-forming policies.

Monash IVF and public relations agency MediaCast have also introduced fertility leave, but so many others are yet to do so. Is it any wonder some women don't feel comfortable talking about their fertility struggles at work?

The best family-forming policies are those that recognise that there can be a physical and emotional toll in having fertility treatment while juggling work responsibilities. These polices acknowledge women need support at various stages through their treatment and provide them with flexible, paid days off to allow them to attend appointments, to undergo procedures and to recover afterwards.

When women are not be forced to use up annual or sick leave or rush back to work when they're not ready, it stands to reason they will be more likely to be happier at work and to stay with their current employer long-term.

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Accounting firm PwC in the UK has gone even further by increasing paid fertility leave to eight days and giving employees whose partners are having treatment two days of paid leave, regardless of gender.

Governments also have a role to play and can do much more to support women needing fertility treatment.

Earlier this year the NSW government became the first in Australia to announce IVF leave for public servants. From 2023 teachers, nurses and other government employees will be entitled to five days of paid fertility treatment leave. Thousands of patients will also be able to access rebates of up to $2000 for IVF and related treatments performed from October 1 this year.

Victoria's state opposition will go to the November election with a similar promise. Let's hope other states follow suit.

As a society we should be doing whatever we can to support and empower women who need help starting a family. Women should feel supported, not just in their homes and in their doctor's consulting room, but at work and in the general community as well.