As attitudes to reproductive health begin to change and conversations about the impacts of reproductive health on health and well-being become commonplace, more and more employers are considering prioritising it in the workplace.?
- Reproductive health conditions like Endometriosis and PCOS have both been shown to impact well-being negatively. Many people have to wait years for a diagnosis, attend multiple appointments and take time off work due to debilitating symptoms leading to potential fears for job security (APPG, 2020).
- Research shows that absenteeism and presenteeism related to a woman's periods are substantial, with over 26,000 people reporting decreased productivity on an average of 23.2 days per year (BMJ, 2018)
- Surveys on women who have gone through or were going through menopause found ~80% found their symptoms problematic at work and felt unable to discuss this with their line managers.? BUPA revealed that an estimated 1 million women may exit the workforce due to menopausal symptoms (TUC, 2021).
- The prevalence of infertility is rising, and therefore the amount of people going through fertility treatment in the workplace is also rising. Research from Fertility Network UK has shown that going through fertility treatment or experiencing struggles with fertility can negatively impact job satisfaction, productivity and performance (FNUK, 2016).
- Unfortunately, we are seeing that over 50% of women in the UK cannot access menstrual health or menopause services locally, with over 500,000 women currently waiting for gynaecology services and average wait times currently standing at 16 weeks (RCOG, 2020 & RCOG, 2022). The complications that arise as a result of this increased wait time are vast, including increasing rates of cancer and higher rates of complications and illnesses. For women seeking fertility treatments, a minimum average wait of 16 weeks can be the difference between having a child and not.?
It is clear that not only are there a significant number of ways in which reproductive health conditions can affect employees both in the workplace and at home, but that current services are inaccessible, and care is fragmented.
Employers should now be looking to invest in reproductive health services that can help create a healthier and more productive workforce while providing a more supportive environment for all employees.?
Director of Communications & Legislative Affairs
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