The new fertility leave plan to give women paid time off for treatment

Women working at more than 30 British firms will be offered paid time off for IVF under a campaign for new laws requiring all employers to provide leave for fertility treatment . Women undergoing IVF and other fertility treatment are not currently entitled to statutory paid leave. But the Labour MP Alice Macdonald is campaigning for the Government to change the law and bring fertility leave into line with other statutory entitlements, such as sick pay and maternity leave.

She has secured a commitment from 38 businesses, including major companies like HSBC UK, Centrica and EON, as well as the Ministry of Defence, to offer their employees paid time off or flexible working to attend clinics for IVF or other fertility treatment. The current Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice on Employment compares a woman undergoing fertility treatment to a man having cosmetic dental surgery – highlighting how poorly fertility treatment is recognised in workplace rights.

With no specific statutory right to time off for fertility treatment, many employees are having to use up annual leave, take unpaid leave or call in sick. Fertility-related unplanned sick leave costs UK employers up to £54 million every year, the organisation Fertility Matters At Work estimates. The MP said that offering paid time off and putting supportive policies in place would actually be beneficial for businesses, because they could plan out the time more effectively with employees.

The pledge signed by the firms also commits them to having a clear fertility policy, appointing an ambassador to support colleagues undergoing treatment, and better training for managers on the subject. Polling shows four in 10 women who revealed they were having IVF treatment to their employers say they have experienced discrimination as a result. The research by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, published to coincide with National Fertility Awareness Week, found that 27.1 per cent of women undergoing IVF do not tell their employer they are having treatment.

And of those who do disclose it, 39.2 per cent say they have experienced discrimination. Macdonald said she had heard personal stories from women who had hidden in their office toilets to do injections because they did not want to reveal to their bosses they were having IVF. Some women might prefer to take up the flexible working option rather than a whole day of paid leave because they might only need a couple of hours for an appointment, she said.

Macdonald, the Labour MP for Norwich North, said there was increasing use of IVF for couples trying to get pregnant – with one child in every classroom conceived with the help of fertility treatment – so the issue was becoming more significant for women workers and businesses. IVF accounted for 1.4 per cent of births in 2004, but by 2024 it had risen to 3.2 per cent . The campaign for changes in the law would likely have cross-party support because it was previously raised by the former Conservative MP Nickie Aiken.

Macdonald said: “Going through fertility treatment can be one of the most challenging experiences in someone’s life. The last thing anyone should have to worry about is whether attending an appointment could put their job at risk or harm their career.” She added: “We need a change in the law but in the meantime employers can act.” Macdonald praised firms who have signed up to the pledge, and urged others to join them. Firms and organisations that have signed up also include University College London, the Royal British Legion, Autotrader, Norwich City Football Club and Saxon Air.

Macdonald has also highlighted concerns about unequal access to fertility treatment across the country, with the amount of NHS-funded IVF cycles varying depending on where people live. For example, women in Norfolk and Waveney are entitled to fewer IVF cycles than those living in North East and North Cumbria. The disparity comes despite updated NICE guidance recommending that eligible women under 40 should be offered three full cycles of IVF across the board.

NICE analysis published in March 2026 found that just three Integrated Care Boards, or 8 per cent of the total, were funding three cycles in line with this recommendation. A Government spokesperson said: “We know many employees undergoing fertility treatment face significant challenges at work, and we want to ensure they receive the support they need to start or grow their family. “That’s why we are making it easier for employees to attend appointments through changes to flexible working, and we continue to speak to Alice Macdonald and other MPs about what more can be done.” ‘Your mind is already overwhelmed’: Sarah’s IVF journey and fight for change When Sarah Brooks and her husband were going through IVF treatment, she took time off for appointments as sick leave from her NHS job working in an operating theatre department in South Wales.

She first started treatment in 2013, when her employer did not offer any paid time off for fertility appointments. Brooks, now 44, approached her local MP, who at the time was Labour’s Nick Smith, about the issue and together they secured three days “special leave” for prospective parents working for all NHS trusts in Wales. “As someone in my role it was still difficult to navigate the time off,” she told The i Paper . “You are often called for scans at short notice, which could be an hour’s drive away from your workplace.

“Your mind is already overwhelmed by emotions about what you are going through trying to conceive. “Often being in work is a good way to take your mind off things. But you don’t necessarily want your colleagues to know what you are going through and if you are having IVF treatment as it is a very personal topic. “Securing three days was a massive achievement for me to get that put in place.” Brooks, from Blaina in Blaenau Gwent, went through five cycles of IVF treatment over five years and now has two children.

But she also wanted to use her experience to support other women facing similar challenges, and in 2024 she secured herself a voluntary role as Fertility Treatment Workplace Ambassador for her health board. “When you are going through fertility treatment there are so many things you have to navigate, jumping over hurdles trying to approach different departments, and I am trying to make that easier,” she said. “Nobody chooses to be infertile or to need to have fertility treatment.

In an ideal world everybody would have a family naturally. But it doesn’t always work that way.”