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LifeQuest IVF Blog

 

Paid IVF article

 

Some companies pay for prescription drugs, dentist visits and eyewear to ease their employees' financial burden. What if your employer were to cover the cost of IVF treatments? More women are deciding to have children later in life and this decision creates an interesting debate. Should companies extend their benefits plan to include covering the cost of IVF treatments for their employees? The subject of employer-funded IVF treatments was discussed in a recent Globe and Mail article.

 

 

 

 

“When [those employees] finally realize their dream of having a family, they’re going to be thankful to that employer for helping make that dream come true, and will most likely be loyal employees as a result,” said Erin Miller, a consultant in Toronto who is currently financing her IVF treatment.


What do you think? Should employers pay for IVF?



Last year, we wrote an article about the stress that couples who are going through fertility treatments feel during the holiday season. One year later, we thought we would introduce some new tips on how to minimize the stress that often accompanies the holidays.

Hide Facebook updates or avoid Facebook all together
No, we don't want to see the sonagram image from your latest doctor's visit when we login to Facebook. Sometimes it's best to avoid places where people are likely to over share information whether you are prepared for it or not. A great little feature on your Facebook page is the hide post option. Look for the 'x' to the right of the story and press 'hide' to your heart's content. For those extra annoying posts, you can even go into your settings and hide someone from your news feed all together!

Don't read celebrity gossip
If they aren't talking about who's pregnant then they are speculating about who in Hollywood wants to get pregnant. The tabloids tend to glamourize celebrity pregnancies and make it appear as if it's easy to have babies. What they leave out are all the details about trips to fertility clinics, especially with older celeb moms. We're not naming any names but gossip magazines tend not to tell the whole story. Avoiding these type of publications may put things into perspective.

Set boundaries
The holidays can be an especially trying time. It may be difficult attending holiday parties with friends who have children who may  unknowingly seem insensitive to what you are going through. Set boundaries to protect yourself from the emotions you may experience during social situations and seek out others who are going through similar circumstances for guidance and support.

Take some time to focus on yourself
Take a break from running around doing things for others to focus on yourself. A half day at the spa can be just what the doctor ordered after this especially emotional time of the year.

Write out what you are thankful for
Reflecting on what you are thankful for can be a fulfilling process. It's easy to focus on the negative when times seem tough but keeping a positive attitude will help maintain your focus on what is important when things get overwhelming.

When dealing with infertility sometimes you just need to laugh. That’s what Kristen Sullivan did. She turned her struggles to conceive into webisodes called None in the Oven. Partnering with writer-director Heather Hillstrom and producer Sarah Rath, Kristen who has stuggled from infertility herself used her own personal experiences to create the series of videos for the web. 



In a press release announcing the show, which premiered on October 3, Kristen explained,

“Infertility is rarely talked about in movies or on TV, yet most people know someone who has struggled with it in some capacity…We saw an opportunity to make a web series that a lot of people could relate to – especially when we looked back and realized how funny our experiences had been.”


Have a look at the first video from None in the Oven and let us know what you think. http://youtu.be/i_r1rdOtA-g

 



 

Entertainment reporter and reality show star, Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill Rancic have opened up about their conception troubles.

The couple who star in the reality show Giuliana & Bill get very personal while cameras follow them around documenting everything from egg retrievals to opening up about a miscarriage Giuliana suffered earlier this year. Although Rancic admitted she felt "vulnerable" sharing her story with the world, she also found it rewarding. "This guy came up to me, and he was like, 'Oh, I just want to thank you and your husband. You inspire my wife. She's going through IVF, and we know we're not alone,' It's really nice [to inspire others]," she said. "[And it's nice] that we can use our profiles to talk about it and make people feel better about themselves."

 

Giuliana, 35 and Bill, 40 have been trying for a baby since 2009 but have vowed to enjoy "all of the things we couldn't do if we had a baby," like "traveling" and "drinking lots of wine."

 

Through their struggle, the couple have maintained their optimism. “To quote Charlie Sheen: ‘We're winning,’ and anything else from here on out is a bonus. It’s a great bonus,” Giuliana has said.

 

Do you know anyone who has opened up about their infertility? Have you, yourself shared your feelings on trying to conceive?

boss

 

Deciding whether or not to tell your boss that you will be undergoing fertility treatments depends  on the relationship you have with your supervisor. Some experts caution against revealing too much personal information while others recommend being open about your extended time off, so you don’t have to keep coming up with excuses every time you leave work early. 

The best course of action would probably be to openly discuss and document the request, and come to an agreement that works for both of you.

Come up with a plan
Emphasize to your boss that you would like to continue working through your treatments but need some modest accommodations to make it work.

Know your company’s HR policy
Find out what kind of medical and extended leave of absence accommodations your work can provide before you decide to book off all your vacation days.

Be flexible
For those with the flexibility to do so, schedule lunch hour appointments, work from home and arrange for reduced hours if possible.

Schedule appointments early in the morning
Once treatment has started, you can book appointments beginning as early as 7:00 am for blood tests, ultrasounds and other monitoring appointments.

We are all human
Find someone in your workplace who is likely to understand. Chances are your boss and co-workers likely know someone else who has gone through something similar.

What are other companies doing?
Do some research to find out what other organizations of similar size are doing to accommodate women who are going through fertility treatments.

Telling your supervisor about your fertility treatment won’t be easy but hopefully you have an understanding employer who recognizes the prevalence of infertility and who will be compassionate during your difficult situation.

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