In the previous article, we explain the steps for infertility treatment and things that may happen at your workplace. If you still continue to work and take infertility treatment, here are 4 ways to balance two of them.
4 Ways to balance infertility treatment and work
It is difficult to go through infertility treatment without the understanding of those around you. In addition, it is impossible to keep it a secret from your workplace. You may feel reluctant to talk about it because it is a private matter, or you may be in a position of responsibility and feel that you cannot show your team members the way. There is also the question of how you view your career, but first, let’s consider what you can do to balance work and life.
Find an ally at work
It is encouraging to have someone at work who understands what you are going through. Talk to your coworkers and boss that you can rely on. Tell them, “This is why I’m trying to take infertility treatment. I’m trying my best, but I need your help” is an important request.
It’s not easy to talk about, and you don’t want your private life to be scrutinized in detail, but it’s important to get the word out for the sake of your future workplace. It’s easy to think it’s just about you, but in this day and age, 1 in 5.5 couples are undergoing infertility treatment. I’m sure there are other people in your workplace who have experienced infertility treatment. If you can find someone who says, “Actually, me too,” they will be able to help you.
Use the system for treatment
Even if there is no leave system for infertility treatment, there may be a system that can be used for treatment. If your workplace allows leaving for hospital visits or allows flexible work hours, you may be able to go to the hospital without causing too much inconvenience to others.
If you are able to work from home, you may be able to work remotely on the days of your treatment and do your work anywhere. Don’t give up and try to find out if your company has a system that you can use.
Submit an “Infertility Treatment Contact Card”
If you find it difficult to tell your employer that you need time off for infertility treatment, you can ask your health care provider to write a certificate for you and submit it to your workplace. The “Infertility Treatment Contact Card” is a document to show employers that you would like them to take care of you during your infertility treatment.
Consider changing jobs or taking a leave of absence in some cases
If there is a system in place and you have the cooperation of others, you may be able to continue working at your current workplace, but if this is unavoidable, you may be able to request a transfer or change to a workplace that allows you to work from home. It depends on what kind of career you want to pursue, but in the end, you may come to that conclusion.
If you do both work and treatment halfway, you will have regrets. For example, “I’m going to take a leave of absence from work for one year to focus on infertility treatment.”
How long should you keep taking infertility treatment?
It’s great if you can get pregnant right after starting infertility treatment, but if you can’t get pregnant, you may have trouble deciding how long to continue and how hard it is to work. There is a great deal of individual variability in how long you can get pregnant. The timing of menarche and menopause varies from person to person, and it is not something that you can just decide based on how long other people around you have been trying.
However, the peak age at which a woman can get pregnant is said to be in her mid-twenties, from which point it gradually goes downhill, and after the age of 35, the risk of having a child is high.
After the age of 40, the chance of getting pregnant drops to less than 9%. When you see a news report about a celebrity who got pregnant and gave birth at an advanced age, you may think, “I can have a baby at that age. I guess I don’t have to rush to get pregnant either.”
Although women are getting younger and younger in terms of their appearance, their bodies and eggs are definitely aging as they get older. And the same is true for men. Based on these age guidelines, it is necessary for couples to discuss how long they want to continue treatment.
Discuss career plans with your spouse
Half of all infertility problems are caused by the man. However, there are many cases where the two people are not on the same page when it comes to having children. This is even more so when both people are working. Let’s think together about how to plan your professional and personal careers. In fact, it is important to reconcile your life plans, as they often differ from each other.
A life plan is not only about when you want to have children, but also about when you want to buy a house, move, travel, change jobs, and many other things. When you put all these things together, you will be able to figure out when it is best to have a child and at what age.
Normally, it would be better to have these discussions before marriage, but it is not too late to have them after marriage. It is important to express your feelings to each other and find a landing point that is unique to you and your spouse.
Conclusion
There is a time limit for pregnancy and childbirth. It is not always possible. The reason why many people procrastinate even though they know this is because it often becomes difficult to work as much as before after pregnancy or childbirth.
If you want to continue your career, for example, you may think, “I’ll prioritize work until I’m 30.”
If there is a soil where women can continue to work comfortably even after pregnancy and childbirth, the number of people who hesitate to get pregnant may decrease. It would be wonderful if fewer people had to undergo “infertility treatments.
