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Have you ever wondered how you’d manage fertility treatment alongside the demands of your career?

The appointments you can’t always plan. The emotional rollercoaster of hope and disappointment. The pressure to keep performing at work when so much of your energy is focused on something happening outside it.

And then there’s another layer of uncertainty.

Do I tell my manager? Will they understand? Will they see me differently? Could it affect my career?

For many people navigating fertility challenges, these aren’t hypothetical questions. They’re part of everyday life.

One in six people experience infertility. Yet for many, it’s something they navigate quietly, continuing to show up at work, meet deadlines, lead teams and manage expectations while carrying an enormous emotional and physical load.

But fertility doesn’t stop affecting you when you walk into the office or open your laptop.

And if you’re a manager, there’s another important question: would you know how to support someone who trusted you enough to share what they’re going through?

In this episode of Wisdom for Working Mums, I’m joined by Natalie Silverman, co-founder of Fertility Matters at Work, for an important conversation about navigating fertility challenges alongside a career and what it really takes to create fertility-friendly workplaces.

Drawing on her own experience of fertility treatment and years of advocacy, Natalie shares why fertility remains such a difficult subject to discuss at work, what people going through treatment really need, and how managers and organisations can make a meaningful difference.

Together, we explore the hidden challenges of fertility at work, the fears that prevent people from speaking openly, and the practical steps we can take to create workplaces where people feel genuinely understood, supported and able to continue pursuing their careers.

What You’ll Learn

Why fertility remains a workplace taboo: The fears, assumptions and stigma that prevent people from speaking openly about fertility challenges, particularly when they’re concerned about their career progression.

The realities of balancing IVF and work: Understanding the physical, emotional and practical demands of fertility treatment, from unpredictable appointments and hormone treatments to uncertainty and disappointment.

The impact on career confidence and progression: Why people worry about being perceived as less committed, overlooked for opportunities or treated differently when they disclose fertility challenges.

How managers can have compassionate conversations: What to say when someone shares their fertility journey, what well-intentioned comments to avoid, and why listening without trying to fix things matters.

Practical ways workplaces can offer support: How flexibility around appointments, time off, privacy and thoughtful adjustments can make a significant difference for people undergoing treatment and their partners.

Creating genuinely fertility-friendly workplaces: Why policies alone aren’t enough and how psychological safety, awareness and everyday leadership behaviours shape people’s experiences.

The wider impact of fertility challenges: Understanding the emotional, financial and professional consequences, including the experiences of secondary infertility, pregnancy loss and involuntary childlessness.

Why fertility support is a leadership and retention issue: How organisations that understand and respond to people’s experiences can create more inclusive cultures and better support their talent.

Why This Episode Matters

Fertility challenges affect one in six people, yet for many, the experience remains largely invisible in the workplace.

Behind the meetings, deadlines and everyday demands of work, people may be navigating fertility treatments, uncertainty, disappointment and sometimes loss, while trying to maintain their professional responsibilities and protect their careers.

And while the physical demands of fertility treatment often fall most heavily on the person undergoing treatment, the impact extends to their partner too.

Fertility treatment can involve frequent appointments, unpredictable schedules and critical moments when timing is everything. Both partners may need to rearrange work commitments at short notice, attend appointments and navigate the emotional highs and lows of treatment together.

Yet workplace conversations about fertility often overlook the experiences of partners, particularly men, who may also be struggling to balance supporting their partner, managing their own emotions and meeting professional expectations.

For anyone going through fertility challenges, there’s often an additional layer of anxiety about work.

Should I tell my manager? Will they understand? Could this affect my career? And how do I manage something so unpredictable alongside the demands of my job?

These are difficult questions, particularly when fertility remains a subject that many people don’t feel comfortable discussing openly.

What struck me most about my conversation with Natalie is how much difference the response of a manager can make.

Because when someone shares that they’re going through fertility treatment, they aren’t necessarily asking you to solve anything.

They’re asking for understanding.

Perhaps some flexibility around appointments. The ability to take a private phone call from a clinic. Or simply reassurance that their professional capabilities and career ambitions won’t suddenly be questioned.

As Natalie explains, managers don’t need to be fertility experts to make a difference.

They don’t need to have all the answers or know exactly what someone is experiencing. But they do need to be willing to listen, avoid assumptions and ask what support would genuinely help.

And the consequences of getting this wrong can be significant.

Natalie shares research from Fertility Matters at Work highlighting the impact fertility challenges can have on mental health, career decisions and employee retention when people don’t feel supported.

For organisations, this isn’t simply about having the right policies in place.

It’s about creating a culture where people feel psychologically safe enough to speak openly, where managers have the confidence to respond compassionately, and where practical support is available when it’s needed.

It’s also about recognising that there are many different routes to parenthood, and that fertility challenges can affect people regardless of gender, relationship status or whether they already have children.

Not every fertility journey ends with a baby, and those navigating loss or involuntary childlessness deserve understanding and support too.

Ultimately, this episode is about something bigger than fertility.

It’s about the kind of workplaces we want to create.

Workplaces where people don’t have to hide what they’re going through to protect their careers.

Where compassion and ambition aren’t seen as competing priorities.

And where supportive leadership is demonstrated not just through policies, but through the everyday conversations and decisions that shape people’s experiences.

Because building a family shouldn’t mean having to sacrifice your career. And nobody should feel they have to navigate fertility challenges alone.

Connect with Natalie and Fertility Matters at Work

Fertility Matters at Work – Visit their website to learn more about their work helping organisations create fertility-friendly workplaces through education, training, consultancy and practical resources.

Natalie Silverman on LinkedIn – Connect with Natalie and follow her insights on fertility awareness, workplace inclusion and supporting people through fertility challenges.

Fertility Matters at Work on LinkedIn – Follow the organisation’s work to raise awareness and improve workplace support for people navigating fertility and family-building challenges.

Additional Helpful Resources

Additional Helpful Resources

Fertility Matters at Work – Free Resource Library

Explore a collection of free resources designed to support individuals, partners, managers and organisations navigating fertility challenges in the workplace.

Within the library, you’ll find the Compassionate Conversations Guide, a free resource to help managers and colleagues approach conversations about fertility with greater sensitivity, confidence and compassion, including how to listen, respond and offer meaningful support.

Explore the Free Resource Library: https://fertilitymattersatwork.com/free-resource-library/

Fertility Matters at Work – Employer Support

Discover how Fertility Matters at Work helps organisations create more inclusive, fertility-friendly workplaces through awareness, education and practical guidance.

Visit Fertility Matters at Work: https://fertilitymattersatwork.com/

Listen Now

🎧 Press play above to hear my conversation with Natalie Silverman.

Whether you’re navigating fertility challenges yourself, supporting a partner or colleague through treatment, or leading a team and wanting to create a more compassionate workplace, I hope this conversation helps you feel more informed, understood and equipped to make a difference.

Because fertility might be deeply personal, but creating workplaces where people feel supported is something we all have a part to play in.

Share and Subscribe

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a colleague, friend or fellow working mum who might benefit from hearing this conversation.

Fertility challenges often remain invisible in the workplace, not because they don’t affect people, but because so many feel unable to talk about them.

Sometimes simply opening up the conversation can be the first step towards meaningful change.

And if you’re enjoying the Wisdom for Working Mums podcast, I’d love you to follow or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform and leave a rating or review.

It helps more ambitious working mums discover the insights, encouragement and practical tools to thrive at work, at home and in themselves.

Because creating a better experience of work and motherhood isn’t just about what we do as individuals. It’s also about the workplaces and cultures we create together.

Read the transcript here