How Your Job Could Influence Your Chances of IVF Success

Statistics show that 12 percent of U.S. women struggle with infertility. Dr. David Ghozland, an OB/GYN in Los Angeles, California, says that IVF success rates are linked to a lot of factors, not just a woman’s egg count. Your profession, income and workplace can also play a role in how quickly a you conceive while undergoing IVF.

Dr. Ghozland sites a new fertility doctor review app called Fertility IQ that analyzed data from nearly 1,150 respondents and found some eye-opening trends. According to the survey results, women who do the following are more likely to conceive while undergoing IVF treatments:

You Talk About Your Infertility with Your Colleagues.

• Apparently women who were able to talk openly about their experiences with coworkers also shared suggestions for finding better doctors. This effect also held true for women in highly social careers like sales, marketing, and public relations. Interestingly, a 2015 published study found that women with less social support may have higher IVF drop-out rates.

 You Have a Flexible Work Schedule.

•  Women working in traditionally male-dominated roles, such as investment banking and engineering were 60 percent less likely to succeed at IVF. Part of the reason may be that these women felt compelled to keep their treatments a secret from their employers and colleagues, adding more stress to an already stressful time. They also found it more difficult to get away from the office to begin and adhere to an IVF cycle, (typically requiring multiple early morning appointments).

Your State Mandates IVF Insurance Coverage.

•  Of the 15 states that require insurers to offer infertility services, only nine states specifically mandate IVF, (often referred to as the gold standard of fertility medicine). According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), IVF has led to more than 65,000 babies from more than 190,000 cycles!

Your Salary Exceeds $100,000 Annually.

•  Paying out of pocket for IVF is expensive. Treatment can run between $10,000 and $15,000, according to SART. With nearly 60 percent of patients forgoing fertility treatment because of cost, it makes sense that women with six figure household incomes were twice as likely to successfully achieve pregnancy from IVF. With money at your disposal, you can pay for more IVF cycles, which in turn increases your odds of conception.

If you are just beginning your research into fertility treatment options, IVF may be something to discuss with your OB/GYN. While there are many factors that will influence your ability to conceive, including your age, overall health history and lifestyle factors, looking at your workplace environment may be one additional area to discuss with your fertility specialist in hopes of maximizing your chances of IVF success.