people of reproductive age experience infertility during their lifetime.
Evidence & Resources
Fertility, reproductive health and work
Fertility care is healthcare—and it can be demanding, uncertain and private.
Infertility, fertility preservation and assisted reproduction can involve repeated appointments, procedures, medication effects, financial costs and emotional strain. The workplace may see scheduling changes without seeing the full journey.
Health, healthcare and work are connected.
Global evidence snapshot
Scale, context and equity matter.
fertility care is rarely included in universal health coverage benefit packages.
women often carry greater social and psychological consequences regardless of the cause of infertility.
What the evidence says
Start with what is established.
01
The health evidence
WHO estimates approximately one in six people of reproductive age experience infertility in their lifetime.
02
The wider context
Equal access to fertility care remains a challenge, particularly where treatment is not publicly funded.
03
What matters
Infertility can affect mental health, relationships and social wellbeing, with women often carrying disproportionate stigma.
Working-life lens
The impact can appear in more than absence.
01
Capacity and participation
Time-sensitive appointments and procedures may be difficult to fit around rigid schedules.
02
Systems and access
Treatment effects, uncertainty and financial pressure can affect concentration and wellbeing.
03
Trust and disclosure
Disclosure may feel risky because of privacy concerns or assumptions about future caregiving.
From evidence to practice
Support begins with a respectful, individual response.
01
Listen first
Provide flexible pathways for healthcare without demanding reproductive details.
02
Design practical support
Keep information confidential and separate support from career decisions.
03
Protect dignity
Use neutral leave and adjustment processes that include non-linear treatment journeys.
Women Working Well’s research purpose
What Women Working Well is seeking to understand.
Women Working Well exists to investigate the questions that remain unseen or unanswered: what is missing from the evidence, whose experiences are under-represented, and how women’s health, healthcare, working life and life beyond work connect. These topic-specific priorities help shape the Global Women and Work Study.
01
What is missing
Workplace research often focuses narrowly on IVF and professional occupations.
02
Who is under-represented
Evidence is limited for casual, shift, rural and lower-income workers.
03
What research should connect
The experiences of fertility preservation, secondary infertility and unsuccessful treatment need visibility.
Sources and further reading
Global evidence and authoritative guidance.
These sources support the key statements on this page. Statistics are contextual, time-bound and should be read with their source definitions. Evidence from one country, occupation or health condition should not automatically be generalised to all women.
Important: This page provides general evidence and workplace information. It is not medical, legal or employment advice and does not replace individual clinical care or professional advice.
Keep exploring
See the connected evidence picture.
Return to the Evidence & Resources Hub or explore the Global Women and Work Study.
Evidence & Resources →