Paid time off for fertility treatment

[Zibidee]

I mentioned on here on the conception forum that I may not get paid time off for fertility appointments. Time off will be granted but not definitely paid because I won't be having IVF and the council's policy only covers IVF.
Is anyone else in this position?
The headteacher admits the policy is outdated but says her hands are tied.

There is unfortunately no obligation for schools to allow time off for IVF or fertility treatment. This has been a particular problem this past year as one colleague had to isolate for two weeks before receiving treatment and stay off work for all the treatment. How the absence is logged, and whether it’s permitted, is at the head’s discretion. Can you get appointments after school? Perhaps agree with the head that a certain number will be paid, and the rest unpaid?

I don’t think there’s an obligation but headteacher can allow you time off if they choose to. I had 2-3 years of various appointments and treatments before IVF, and my HT gave them all to me with no question....however, it’s give and take because she knows that I make every effort to schedule any appointments during PPA.

The clinic don't seem to have much flexibility with appointments, when I ask for after 3.30pm I often have to wait another month, which just delays treatment and I am already nearly 40.
I have agreed to relinquish my TLR time of 45min on weeks when I have to have an appointment and if an appointment comes up during my PPA I will take that but it seems unlikely this will happen.
Its just irritating that if my treatment was called IVF I would get paid, but because I don't yet need IVF, only IUI, I won't get paid. So I am being penalised for having less invasive treatment.

Are you NHS or private? The NHS part of treatment (assessments, drug trials, hormone treatment etc) were the worst to schedule. We went private when IVF was suggested and my DP hit his mid 40s because, like you, we were worried about time. Within two years of our first private consultation we had our daughter, so I would absolutely recommend that route if you can. They offered appointments closer to home, and completely worked around my PPA time with no delays. Most clinics do financial packages that can help.

@Zibidee

The clinic don't seem to have much flexibility with appointments, when I ask for after 3.30pm I often have to wait another month, which just delays treatment and I am already nearly 40. I have agreed to relinquish my TLR time of 45min on weeks when I have to have an appointment and if an appointment comes up during my PPA I will take that but it seems unlikely this will happen. Its just irritating that if my treatment was called IVF I would get paid, but because I don't yet need IVF, only IUI, I won't get paid. So I am being penalised for having less invasive treatment.

You wouldn’t necessarily get paid for IVF. Schools are not obliged to give time off for IVF appointments, unlike pre-natal appointments. It’s up to the head.

I am going private, at Kings Fertility. Still seems to be very inflexible appointments, I imagine a big backlog after Covid delays. If I went with a different clinic it would be further from work and cost more. kings was the cheapest.

Do you have to have IUI? When we went for fertility treatment (NHS, Bourne Hall) we were told either IUI or IVF were options available to us, but they strongly recommended we went straight to IVF because success rates on IUI were poor and the most invasive bit was actually egg harvesting, which they had to do anyway.
It's like driving 95% of your way to the destination- might as well go the other 5% for significantly improved chances of success. So we did that, and little man is fast asleep right now :-)

My head was bloody brilliant-helped that he and his wife had got to within spit of IVF fifteen or so years earlier so knew what it entailed emotionally as well as practically. Paid time off for all appointments, covered in-house where possible, and was told to not even think of coming to school for the first ten after egg harvesting and implantation.

Two rounds of IVF plus a nasty case of OHSS leading to hospitalization (thanks, PCOS.) All fully paid.

But it was purely at his discretion.

I'm sure if I wanted to go straight to IVF I could, but it would cost 3-4 times as much per cycle and I don't have any fertility problems apart from being 39 so there isn't really a reason to yet.
They have recommended 2 or 3 IUI before going to IVF.
Why did you need egg harvesting for IUI? IUI is simply sperm into the cervix. IVF is embryo into the cervix.

Oh sorry, didn't register you were private. That would up the £££££.

As for IUI, guess that shows that time is blurring my memory of the details of it all. Probably just as well tbh, it was not a great time, but happy outcome

Good luck with it all.