Please take our
Listener's Survey!
Transcripts
Hi Baby Talk Radio listeners this
is Iris Waichler. I’m the author of Riding the Infertility Roller
Coaster: A Guide to Educate and Inspire. I wanted to spend some time
today talking about balancing work and infertility treatment. I’ll continue
to talk about infertility issues in the future as well. One of the things
you need to think about is how transparent should you be about your
infertility treatment?
If you do tell what should you
say and how will it impact your job security if you tell someone about it at
work? Ask yourself what type of job you have and how infertility treatment
will impact your ability to perform your job at work. What amount of
physical exertion is needed at your job and what are the physical and
psychological stresses associated with your work? Are you a waitress,
construction worker or business professional?
They all have different needs and
different sorts of restrictions. Also think about how far is your job from
where would you be getting your infertility treatments. Does your job
require travel with little notice? A situation like that makes it really
tough and it’s very incompatible with infertility treatment where you may
need lab and blood work every day. What are some of the ways to cope with
these challenges of balancing and infertility?
One thing you can do is talk with
your doctor about your specific job demands. Also make sure there is no
adverse on your fertility treatment in relation to your work. You may need
to consider altering job responsibilities and maybe you can check and see if
there is another job available at your work that is a better fit for your
infertility treatment regime. Ask yourself if you have options of going
part time or flex time and pursue that with people at work.
Before you begin your therapy
talk with your doctor about what your treatment regime will encompass and
how it will impact your physical ability to work. Certain medications may
affect your concentration and also have other side effects. Ask about how
therapy will be scheduled and monitoring practices, will it need to be done
daily, weekly or monthly?
For example I almost always had
to have daily lab or blood work done so I found a clinic near work and I had
my treatment done before work or at lunch time. Every medical office has
its own culture and you need to notice it when you go in. One clinic I went
to was much busier than another so I compensated by allowing extra time or
early am appointments or late in the day appointments so it didn’t conflict
with my work.
Think about how transparent you
want to be at work, it varies from person to person. It’s good to have a
confidant there because you may need to share information with the boss or
immediate supervisor unexpected things can help in turning your infertility
treatment and they need to be aware of that. Consider the climate and
culture of your work space and establish what feels comfortable.
Your goal should be to create a
situation that offers you the most support without feeling people are
intrusive and without fear of loosing your job. Assure your employer that
you are doing all you can to ensure infertility treatment will not affect
your job performance if you do choose to disclose. Also be proactive
meshing infertility treatment in your job. If you have a seasonal shot try
to get your therapy done off season, negotiate make up time with the people
at work if you need to miss it.
If you know you need time off,
for example if you are adopting a child and you need to be gone or if you
are going to have a surgical procedure and need bed rest, give your employer
a heads up if you can and plan that. You can just tell your boss you need
medical procedure and time off is based on your doctor’s recommendation if
you choose not to be too specific about it.
Work and infertility treatment
requires a lot of time and soul searching. Concentrate on some of the
points I’ve highlighted and remember, stress management, introspection and
thoughtful planning can make all the difference in the length of your
infertility journey. I wish you much luck on your journey. Thank you.
