Unions have always stood for more than wages. They exist to protect workers and their families through the moments that shape their lives. As more members navigate fertility challenges, it is becoming clear that family building benefits must support the whole person, not only the medical procedures involved.
Trying to grow a family can be deeply meaningful. It can also be exhausting and uncertain. Many union members pursue fertility treatment while working long shifts, managing physically demanding jobs, or caring for other family members at home. The emotional strain does not pause when the workday begins. Fertility care and mental health are closely connected and separating them in benefit design leaves members without the support they need.
Today, 42% of Americans have either pursued fertility treatment themselves or know someone who has. These experiences are common across industries, income levels, and communities, yet many members carry them quietly. For unions committed to strong, family-supportive benefits, recognizing the emotional dimension of fertility care is part of protecting members’ overall well-being.
The Emotional Impact of Fertility Challenges
A common misconception is that stress causes infertility. Research shows the reverse is often true. Infertility and pregnancy loss can create significant psychological stress. Over time, that strain may present as anxiety, depression, grief, or isolation.
Studies indicate that between 25% and 60% of people experiencing infertility report symptoms associated with mental health conditions. Behind those statistics are workers showing up every day while managing private and deeply personal challenges:
- A member scrolling through pregnancy announcements on social media and wondering why it hasn’t happened for them.
- A couple navigating repeated cycles of treatment with no guarantee of success.
- A family grieving a miscarriage while preparing to return to work as if nothing has changed.
Pregnancy loss is also more common than many realize. Between 10% and 25% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. For some individuals, loss occurs more than once.
Mental health care during fertility treatment can become complicated. Some individuals stop taking psychiatric medications while trying to conceive. Certain fertility medications may also affect mood. Without coordinated care, members can find themselves navigating medical and psychological decisions without adequate guidance.
These challenges don’t remain separate from work. Anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms can lead to missed shifts, reduced concentration, and difficulty managing physically or mentally demanding tasks. For a member operating heavy machinery, responding to emergencies, caring for patients, or working overnight shifts, diminished focus isn’t a small matter. It can affect safety, performance, and long-term job stability.
There are also implications for health plans. When fertility-related stress develops into clinical anxiety, depression, or trauma-related conditions, members may require evaluations, therapy, medication management, or more intensive services. If care is delayed or fragmented, utilization can increase and treatment may become more complex. For benefit funds and trustees, integrating mental health support into fertility coverage is not only compassionate; it’s a proactive way to manage long-term plan costs.
Financial strain often compounds the emotional toll. An in vitro fertilization cycle in the United States costs more than $20,000 on average, and many individuals require multiple cycles. When members must take on debt or draw from retirement savings to pursue treatment, the stress doesn’t end with a medical appointment. It follows them into decisions about overtime, job changes, and long-term financial planning.
How Unions Can Support Members
Unions have long advocated for healthcare benefits that reflect the real lives of working families. Fertility care, and the mental health support that should accompany it, belongs in that conversation.
Creating space for open dialogue is one starting point. When unions acknowledge fertility challenges and pregnancy loss as common experiences, they reduce stigma and encourage members to seek care earlier. Awareness initiatives, such as National Infertility Awareness Week, along with regular member communications, can make clear that no one has to navigate these issues alone.
Benefit design is equally important. Through collective bargaining and benefit fund oversight, unions can advocate for fertility and family building coverage that integrates mental health services from the beginning. That may include access to counseling, coordination between reproductive specialists and mental health providers, and clear guidance around medication management.
From a practical standpoint, comprehensive coverage helps stabilize the workforce. Members who receive coordinated care are better able to maintain focus, remain engaged on the job, and avoid the escalation of untreated mental health conditions. For trustees and bargaining committees, that alignment supports both member well-being and responsible plan stewardship.
Fertility care is about more than access to treatment. It reflects how benefits respond to real-life challenges. When unions ensure that emotional and psychological support are built into family building coverage, they reinforce a core principle of the labor movement: protecting workers not only in their workplaces, but in the defining moments of their lives.
Bring union-backed benefits to your workforce and start building stronger union families. Get in touch with Progyny’s Labor Team here.
Ron Abrahall has held both elected and appointed union positions since 1982. He has served as a representative for the New York State Nurses Association, a former president of USW 9544, past President of BMFNHP AFT/ NYSUT, NYPD officer and a Neuro-Surgical Intensive Care RN.
