# Time off work



## FertileRoad (Nov 3, 2011)

Hi I have read on a few threads that some people are taking off 12 weeks while they go through the process to week 12 of being pregnant, is this the norm. Only asking as I have been told that I will be very ill with the IVF. What does your doctor sign you off for as I am not telling my employer.


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## MinneMouse (Oct 20, 2008)

Hi there !


I don't think this is very usual. Perhaps only for high risk pregnancies or if you have a job which might be tricky.


I only really took time off for egg collection and maybe a few days after transfer. Some people take the full 2 week wait. I personally found it better to have distraction and I feel the less people who know (ie employers!) the better. All clinics will tell you as long as you don't do anything really stupid (bungee jumping !) you can't really change the outcome by lying in bed.


Good luck !


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## babysparkle (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi   

I've only ever taken the day off for EC (once I took the following day as well) and then just the afternoon off for ET. As MinnieMouse said some ladies take the 2ww off but personally I would go   if I had all that time on my hands! I think some ladies get signed off with stress or gynae procedure. I've been honest with my boss from day one and she has been so good to me with time off, I don't think I could handle the extra stress of coming up with excuses for needing time off, but that's just me   

I haven't ever felt ill from the drugs that I'd need a day off sick. I got the odd headache with down regging and felt very tired on the tablets during FET but to me it just means they're working and it's quite a good feeling if you know what I mean   Who told you you'd be very ill?  

Good luck and any questions fire away xx


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## LauraM2011 (Jan 5, 2011)

I just took the odd day off here and there for the procedures (egg collection and embryo transfer), you won't need 12 weeks off! You can get your clinic to give you early appointments for tests, scans etc so you don't need to take time off for that. I didn't get that ill with IVF, just tired mostly but managed to drag myself into work. It's obviously a stressful and emotional time so you could always get your GP to sign you off with stress or something (?). If you have a manual job then you might need more time off.


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## sugarpielaura (Feb 23, 2011)

Hi,

like the other ladies, I have just had the day of ec and et and the day after et off for my last few cycles.  I would go crazy in the 2ww.  I am considering taking a few days off whilst on the FET drugs the next cycle as the drugs do put me in a lot of pain and I struggled to walk the last time, but that is because I have other medical issues as well.  However, I might not bother as sometimes I cope better just trying to muddle through.

xx


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## bonnie1977 (Nov 3, 2011)

I just took a day off for egg collection and egg transfer, mainly because it took a couple of hours to get to the clinic. I told my boss what was going on so that if I needed more time away from work he'd understand. Who told you you'd get very ill during IVF, do you have an additional medical condition that could complicate it? I was expecting it all to be a nightmare due to things I'd read on the internet. I did suffer from some tiredness and headaches from the drugs, but nothing a kip or a couple of paracetamol didn't cure, and I don't think any of the symptoms I had would anythink near what you'd get from being pregnant itself. The stress is the main thing to deal with, the 2 week wait is horrible and I found myself having screaming bouts at my OH for no reasonable reason, it was like having PMT x 100, next time I'm going to try yoga daily and acupuncture, it didn't help that we were in the process of moving to a different country so I had lots of things to do, I'll make sure my diary is clear when we go through this again. Good luck


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## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

I have never felt ill through ivf, i was in a lot of pain after my second ec, but this is rare and only because they had to really push down on me to get the follies out.  Some people say that ivf is very painful but tbh i think its not necessarily painful, just very medically time consuming and mentally painful.  For me its always been the mental side of things that i have been worried about, i know that i can handle anything medically, its mentally that i am terrified of.


Regarding having time off,  i think some of it depends on the work you do.  I work in a care home for adults with ID, i work shifts and over nights, i have always gone part time, so i can come home an inject as mixing the bottles and preparing the needle would be difficult at work.  My boss knows and has always been fully supportive.  I am about to start what will probably be my final go, this time i am have pgd icsi, which is more difficult than ivf, it also has a lower success rate but i have no choice as i have a balanced translocation.  Anyhow this time i feel more worried about how i am going to cope mentally, so will probably have more time off, and if i was lucky enough for things to work i may consider having even more time off or not returning to work.  


Ivf is very difficult to add into your everyday life but it can be done, go into it with an open mind and remember that everyone's experience is different. xxxx


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## FertileRoad (Nov 3, 2011)

You asked who said I would be ill - my consultant he actually doesnt want me to go through with it due to the trauma I went through in the past so he thinks I am going to be very ill. To be honest I will take it each day at a time and see my doctors but I dont want to be off with stress! as my work is going through redundancies every year due to lack of funding.

I wondered what I would do with my life for 12 weeks being off work!


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## dinkydott (Feb 18, 2011)

hi....i had ec off and a day off after,(but didnt need to as felt fine), i also had 1 week off after et, but i do a houses cleaning and bending and lifting lots so, felt the need, it all depends what job you do, ie if on your feet all day, or high flyer,
im starting my next cycle soon, and will only have ec day off and the et 2ww the hole 2ww this time as i found cleaning houses hard going in the 2nd week of my 2ww, i was getting no where fast as i was watching every move i made, im my own boss so just told the people i clean for im having a Holiday,
but if you need a sick note for work, for the 2ww, go to your gp, they are fine about signing you off if you really want/need to, they put gyno problems down ect, they wont put ivf,
i did find the 2ww last time with just the 1w off hard going and getting out and about the week after better as your doing somethink, but some times need must and better to be at home with feet up, xxx


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## JoNapier (Sep 26, 2011)

I'm on my first IVF cycle and was wondering about time off during the 2ww. Your comments kind of back up what I was feeling - providing I feel OK to go back to work after a few days. I would go loopy spending a fortnight at home with nothing to properly distract me.

Jo, xx


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## FertileRoad (Nov 3, 2011)

After the day I had yesterday I was so stressed with timetables and HMIe arriving plus a merger, my blood pressure was sky high face like a beetroot. Decided to take the two weeks off and maybe a few days before when my time comes.  It took me about 7 hours to calm down I thought at one point I was going to take a panic attack. Dont need this stress


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