Alongside the research, HR experts warned that inadequate support for IVF in the workplace is damaging women’s careers. Zurich found that more than one in 10 women undergoing IVF quit their jobs due to a lack of support from their employer, with nearly one in seven (14%) being forced to reduce their working hours.

Women in same-sex relationships were found to be twice as likely to take a demotion as those in heterosexual relationships.

“IVF treatment can be emotionally and physically stressful, and the length of the process can mean that women open themselves up to difficult conversations or even discrimination much earlier than those who are able to conceive naturally,” shared Steve Collinson, chief HR officer at Zurich UK.

“Enshrining IVF leave as a right for all women won’t solve the whole problem, but it is a huge step towards ensuring that IVF is better understood and more sensitively handled in the workplace.”

Almost a third of women undergoing IVF treatment hide it from their boss for fear of losing their job