Fertility and family-building benefits are a top priority for HR teams everywhere, and for good reason. The high costs—physical, emotional, and financial—present a critical need for inclusive and holistic support in the workplace. But the most common cost is often the most literal one: most people pay out-of-pocket for fertility treatments, presenting major barriers to access for the average employee.
Even as fertility benefits become table stakes for inclusive benefits packages today, few vendors holistically support the real-world experience of building a family today, including how to pay for, navigate, and access high-quality and personalized care.
The reality of building a family is expensive and tedious
When your members or employees set out to plan and build their families, they quickly discover that it’s far more complicated than just the birds and the bees. Finding, accessing, and paying for family-building care, even with employer-sponsored coverage, can add significant stress and anxiety to an already challenging journey.
The many costs of building a family
Fertility treatments are notoriously expensive, with out-of-pocket costs for fertility treatments reaching $10,000, and the average cost for IVF eclipsing $30,000 for a successful outcome. Even when working for companies who offer coverage for fertility treatments, most people don’t have the cash on hand to put down for treatments while waiting for reimbursement.
Adoption services are similarly expensive—working with a private adoption agency can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $40,000, and can easily climb higher based on travel, adoption fees, and legal fees. Consequently, many simply are opting to postpone, delay, or abandon the idea of building a family at all. In the same vein, a recent study by Maven found that in 2022, 60% of employees left or considered leaving their jobs for better family benefits, including fertility benefits.
Misinformation and anxiety lead to worse outcomes
Because of the stress, anxiety, and expectations involved in building a family, many feel inclined to do whatever it takes to have successful outcomes, making them especially prone to misinformation. A recent study by Maven found that three in four women surveyed have experienced an increase in their anxiety about their ability to build a family in the past few years, and that one in three women felt that social media and peer pressure influenced their ideas and opinions about fertility—a challenge that many fertility doctors and experts struggle to counteract in their appointments and research.
According to Dr. Brian Levine, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at CCRM, “there’s a lot of misinformation around what kind of treatment needs to be done, even among those with access to fertility support through work.” The result is that many people seek expensive care that they don’t necessarily need, whether it’s because they're influenced by misinformation or propelled by anxiety.
Steep costs translate to reduced productivity
The high costs of building a family translate to the workplace as well. Infertility-induced mental health issues are shown to lead to lower quality of life among both men and women, which can result in reduced productivity, missed days at work, and even impaired career growth. And because family-building is so rarely discussed in the workplace, the depression and anxiety felt by your employees enduring lengthy treatments or legal processes often goes unnoticed—representing yet another cost incurred by your employees and your business.
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