I know from experience how hard the balancing act can be. It’s in organisations’ interests to provide proper support
- Zeynep Gurtin is a fertility consultant and a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
As a sociologist of reproduction who has spent the last two decades exploring the fertility journeys of people struggling to conceive, I know just how much infertility can wreak havoc on a person’s life. This week, a new study published by Fertility Network UK, has highlighted the many ways in which the condition and its associated treatment can have a detrimental impact on not only a patient’s mental health and their relationships, but also their work life.
Disturbingly, 40% of respondents said they experienced suicidal feelings and 83% felt sad, frustrated and worried often or all of the time. “Fertility patients encounter a perfect storm,” Gwenda Burns, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, notes, and often can’t access the support they need.
Zeynep Gurtin is a lecturer at UCL, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and a fertility consultant
