£40,000 to pay for IVF? It's the latest work perk

From subsidised egg freezing to unlimited IVF leave, London firms are finally taking fertility seriously, says Claire Cohen

-  Claire Cohen

FOR Sarah Dewick, from Walthamstow, the news that she wouldn't have to pay for her own fertility treatment came as a shock. Everything from acupuncture to the IVF process itself was covered by the global tech company for which her partner, Victoria Welch, 38, works. In addition, they were both able to take paid leave to attend medical appointments. "When we found out about the fertility benefits, our jaws just dropped," says Sarah, 36. "We couldn't believe our luck as we were already thinking about starting a family."

The couple, who weren't eligible for treatment on the NHS in their area at the time, saved almost £30,000. "It's a crazy amount and paying for it ourselves would have really stretched us," she says.

It marks a change in how employers are using family support to attract talent, spearheaded by big corporates in London such as Apple and Meta. A new Standard poll on what matters to Londoners when it comes to their fertility has found that such workplace policies are now at the top of the wishlist.

As part of fertility survey, a huge 92.1 per cent told us that companies should offer IVF leave. Seven in 10 (69.8 per cent) would consider freezing their eggs to help with money worries and to free up more time to focus on jobs, but only 6.8 per cent have actually been able to do so, while 91.3 per cent felt that fertility testing should be available on the NHS.

It's perhaps no surprise, with couples starting families later, and many treatments not available on the NHS due to postcode lotteries and Covid delays. According to the Fertility Network UK, 3.5 million people (one in six couples) are now affected by fertility issues.