Overview
Fertility treatment covers a range of medical interventions. The most important thing for a manager to understand is that different stages have very different practical demands, and that treatment affects people of all genders.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
Sperm is placed directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation. Requires 2–4 monitoring appointments per cycle (blood tests and/or ultrasound), often early morning. The insemination itself is a brief outpatient procedure, but the timing is medically determined and cannot be rescheduled. A two-week wait follows each cycle.
IVF / ICSI
The most intensive pathway. Involves:
• 10–14 days of daily self-administered injections
• Monitoring appointments every 1–3 days (typically early morning, 20–45 minutes each)
• Egg collection: a full day procedure under sedation, with 1–3 days physical recovery
• Embryo transfer: a short procedure, followed by a two-week wait
• Significant hormonal and emotional demands throughout
Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
No egg collection involved. Requires hormonal preparation, monitoring appointments, a precisely timed transfer procedure, and a two-week wait. Less physically intense than full IVF but carries the same emotional weight.
Fertility preservation (egg or sperm freezing)
The stimulation and collection phase is clinically identical to IVF. All the same demands apply, daily injections, frequent monitoring, egg collection under sedation. This applies whether the person is freezing proactively or before cancer treatment.
Male surgical procedures
Micro-TESE (testicular sperm extraction): surgery under general anaesthesia to retrieve sperm. Clinics commonly advise 3–7 days off work, followed by 2–4 weeks with no heavy lifting or strenuous physical activity. Significant psychological impact, particularly if the procedure is unsuccessful.
Varicocele repair: surgical or interventional radiology procedure to improve sperm quality. Requires 1–7 days off work depending on method, followed by physical restrictions.
The two-week wait
The period between embryo transfer (or insemination) and the pregnancy test result, typically 10–14 days. The person is often at work during this period but research consistently identifies this as the highest-anxiety phase of the entire treatment process. There are no physical restrictions, but presenteeism is common.
Important note
The demands of fertility treatment are not limited to procedure days. The monitoring schedule, medication management, hormonal effects, and psychological burden affect daily functioning throughout the cycle.