Hi, can anyone please advise?I have egg collection Friday. They say about 5 days after for embryo transfer. Do I need to take time off work in between? I don't want to be stressed at work before transfer but I would like to keep my annual leave for after the transfer if that is more important.
Thanks
hi! I requested 2 weeks of sickleave during last few injections, egg collection and embryo transfer and few days after embryo transfer. Work knew I was doing IVF so that might have helped. I would say try and do that if you can and work allows you. As it really benefited me. After those 2 weeks I asked if I could work from home in the wait week. But my work was very supportive so it depends on where you work I guess.
Goodluck with everything!!
Hi, I just presumed I had to take annual leave and not sick leave. I would have to call in Monday and say I wasn't well and would be off a week.
Yes I think I was lucky as we discussed this prior so I didn’t have to call in sick. I looked at it as if I would have a planned operation, work would he made aware then as well expecting to give you sickleave for that period. But I guess it depends on the work you do and type of company you work for. But you could call in sick. I remember being quite tired after all the hormones, nerves of egg collection and hoping they form into embryos and placing it back.
I do think it helped me stay calmer and relaxed. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant. And it was my first IVF embryo transfer.
Oh thats great news. Congratulations.ill look into it a bit further. So nice to hear when it all goes well. X
I would say it depends what you do for a job, and if it's physical, stressful, if it can be done remotely, etc. You can be quite uncomfortable after your egg collection (cramping, bleeding, being generally tired) so I would recommend a couple of days off after that so your body is fully recovered by the time you do the transfer. After the transfer, they tell you to take it easy and don't do anything you would do if you were pregnant, pretty much. For some people it might help to go straight to work to take their mind of the 2ww, some people prefer to relax and take some time for themselves, again it depends on your job!Best of luck for your egg collection and transfer 🙂 x
Hi, I would say the same at Peppy depends what you do for work and how stressful it is and whether you can perhaps wfh?
I took the day off and the after egg collection then went back to work between until transfer. I also went back to work the day after transfer as I wanted to keep myself as busy as possible through the TWW.
Good luck xx
Did you tell your workplace or a “safe” colleague, in case you felt unwell at work? I’m thinking about working around my treatments as much as possible due to my busy role & the fear I’ll need to do this a few times.
Hey there, if you feel time off is needed I would advise sick leave rather than using your precious annual leave, after all IVF treatment is a medical procedure with lots of physical/emotional side effects! I’ve used sick leave each time but luckily have a very understanding boss. The 2 weeks after embryo transfer are also protected the same as maternity rights and another 2 weeks after a negative test, or obviously ongoing if you become pregnant🤞🏼 good luck!
I knew the PUPO was protected but I didn’t realise the 2 weeks after BFN were too. Thanks for the info 😊
What do you mean by protected?
I've asked HR about it so waiting to hear back if recovery time is classed as sick pay. My work only gives 5 days off for IVF and I've taken 4 of those days last IVF cylce. I have just one IVF day left to use up as a day off work that I'll use tomorrow. So next week on transfer may not be included. I just don't see how they think 5 days is enough for a year. It is interesting that this may actually be protected though x
I know, I work for the NHS and I only get 3 days a year, it’s shocking! Which is why I’ve gone on sick rather than use AL, my job is stressful with risks of picking up infections so I’ve protected myself as didn’t want to risk anything. You can use sick for stress as well so even if HR say recovery is not covered by sick pay, if the whole process and TWW is causing significant stress and you don’t feel comfortable being in work then you should be able to request a sick note via the GP.
In terms of protected rights, this webpage explains more ☺️acas.org.uk/your-maternity-...
I didn’t take any off after collection. I’ve never been one for being off work but I wish I had for my first lot of treatment. I was signed off with stress for my second and it’s the best think I did. If you don’t want to use Al, go see the gp because of the anxiety of it all
It really depends on your work situation and mental health - I took a little time off after the first collection as I didn't know how it would go or whether I would get OHSS etc. I had quite a bad experience (bled a lot and fainted) but only really needed a day to recover as no lasting side effects thankfully. Second time I was back at work next day as it was much easier and I had literally no side effects. For transfers, I've done them where I've gone straight back to work, taken a bit of time off to relax and I don't think it made any difference (the one that worked I was on my laptop in the waiting room before transfer and just went in over a lunch hour!), but my job isn't physical although it's very long hours and stressful. I found the distraction of work and not feeling that my life was always on hold quite helpful. But if you'll worry or blame yourself if it doesn't work, that's different. Maybe just be prepared that you may need to take some sick leave after collection and say you're having a minor operation, hope to be back in but may need a few days to recover and you'll let them know - that's what I did and it gave me the flexibility to take time if I wanted and for my work to have cover if needed, without having to disclose the reason.
I never took any time off other than the day of egg collection and the day of transfer. I went straight out after the transfer too (and had mocktails!!). So I don't think it's necessary but really depends how you are feeling. Like people said its a medical procedure so if you need the time you could take it!!!! I do remember being v tired after the first egg collection (done under conscious sedation), so maybe would have liked a day off. But I think I was fine by the next day (currently 28 weeks).
for me personally no if egg collection is a Friday then just the Friday off then an hour or two for transfer or sometimes it’s nice to take the full day off if you have the leave. I personally find about day 4-8 after the transfer the hardest time so sometimes take time off then but only if I have plans to do something as sitting in the house does NOT work for me at all so it’s either work or a break away during the 2WW to distract myself. Remember gently walks are fine and even recommended to help blood flow so don’t worry about having to lie down or not do anything at all after transfer but of your job has heavy lifting etc then you might want to take more time off after EC and after transfer xx
Hi, I took the day of egg collection off and had planned the day after that too (it was a Friday so I didn't need) then went back to work. You don't always know after that when you will be called in for transfer so I kept work low key but was there in between. I just nipped away during the working day for my transfer and went back to work. My transfer was incredibly painful though and I had severe cramping so now I am sedated for transfers. On each subsequent frozen cycle I have taken the day or afternoon of transfer off because of the sedation. As others have said, it really depends on you, how you are feeling physically and mentally, your work, whether you can wfh, is it stressful, is it physically tiring. My work is stressful but with support from my manager (who knows about the IVF) I'm able to manage that stress when I need to and take time whenever I need it so it means I can work as much as I feel able to. Not to be a negative nelly but one thing to consider is that this might not be your only transfer. I think if I'd have take weeks off precautionary for my first cycle and every cycle that I didn't need it would really be impacting my work by now (I did four cycles last year), but actually I feel totally comfortable taking as much time as I need to on an ongoing basis x
I took sick leave. It’s important if you have a physical job on your feet. I’d had 3 cycles prior without sick leave which never worked. I think taking sick leave was what worked for me as I was able to stay hydrated, go for walks, and eat properly. Everyone’s body is different and if you are stressed, then remove the stress. Although I should add I took sick leave for the duration of my my 3 back to back ivf cyclea as it helped reduce stress and enabled me to take my medication on time. Good luck.
Hi
I would also check any HR policies you have - I was very fortunate in that my company have a policy of 5 special leave days per cycle. My manager was also amazing and let me wfh during stims.
Good luck!
Oh I just came on here to ask advice about time off too! This will actually be my 5th egg collection (😩) but the first time I've properly given myself permission to take time off. I know I will need it this time as it's our last shot and I'm feeling pretty fragile about it all. Even though it feels like we've done this so many times before now that it's here I can't quite figure out when best to time it for taking time off. I was planning on using a combination of sick leave and annual leave to try to cover most of the cycle.
It may be my last go too. Work is such a stress. I hate calling in sick. I was horribly sick the first cycle and I struggled through the work days for weeks. If you feel stressed then it is an option to get signed off. It's OK to take sick leave. My GP told me this: managers are very good at getting workers to work because that's what they do. They are skilled at it. But he said it sounded like bullying and what they did wasn't in line with the law. He was fully prepared to sign me off until IVF was all completed. You sound stressed. The fertility policies people have also take into consideration the mental wellbeing and this is worth taking time off for if you ran out of fertility leave. Managers may be saying nice things to some people on here and mine did too but they have their own motives, and their own pushy managers. Listen to your friends, family and the GP. And your instincts. Good luck x
Hi there, I've my egg collection on Monday and I've taken off Monday and Tuesday. From my experience the day after egg collection I'm usually pretty drained and also it's a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally waiting to hear how many eggs fertilised etc. I'm going to probably take a half day off for the transfer but work in between the egg collection and transfer. I find the transfers pretty quick generally, and I'm usually okay to work right after. I had one that was a bit emotional but the physical side for me was always very minimal. The two week wait after the transfer can be an anxious time but I find work a good distraction. Wishing you the best of luck with your EC! xx
Thank you. Such an anxious time. X
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