Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

My boss knows I am going to have around 10 "treatments" (I told her I had a non life threatening illness) where I will be late to work. Plus 4 - 5 days off? I realize I upped the numbers a bit but as a precaution.

I am not so much worried about the days off because I have earned them, but the days where I will come in late. If I get the 7:30 appointment, what time would I be out of the doctors office?

I know work is the last thing I should be caring about right now since I am about to go through something so huge. But I am just so nervous of not being there since times are so shaky with the economy out there and there are a few fishy things going on with other employees being let go at my place of work.

So what I am saying is, how did your experience go? How much time did you really miss in the 7 week period?

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

I did my fresh cycle over the summer when I was off, but I can still fill you in on what I would have had to do if I were working.

My morning monitoring was in the am from 6:00 - 7:30am (and even when I go now for b/w and sono...I am never late for work..school starts for me at 8:10). I would have taken a full day off for the retrieval and a 1/2 day for the transfer. But, I had very bad OHSS and I was in no condition to work. So, if I had done the fresh cycle during work, I probably would have had to take a whole week off because of the OHSS..but, you may not have that problem...but just a heads up!

Good luck!

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

for me, i go in between 7:00-8:00am and im suppost to be in at work at 7:30 and if my appointments at 7:00 im back at work at 9:00am. but then again,1. they dont see me tilll 7:30-7:45 if my appointments at 7:00 and 2. i drive all the way to exit 33 from exit 62 on the LIE so that takes a lot of time to. i mean when I AM seen im pretty much in and out blood work take no more the 5 mins and then when im seen by the doctor im in the room no more then 10-15mins. if it wasnt for the waitng and the drive it would be so fast!

hope that helps a little

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

I've never been late for work yet. I start at 9:30, so I've always gone to the office by 7:45-8 am.

It also helps that I'm the boss and don't punch a time clock.

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

Do you work far from your RE?

I know my RE starts hours around 6:30, but there are some test ie Water sono etc that are only done at specific times like 11:00 am for example.

For the most part, I get my normal train and get to work on time... I count on being at my RE office usually for 1 hour everytime I go, between the wait, bloodwork, sono, and then discussion with the Dr. I give it about an Hour...

If you work locally it you might not be late at all... if you work in the City then you might be a tad late, but not if you get the early early appts.

Good Luck!

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

It's really not as time consuming as you think. You really only need to take off for retrieval and transfer. I don't know where you are cycling but morning appointments are fast. They take blood and do a sono. At most, with waiting to be seen, I was out in 45 minutes. IVF really shoudn't interfere with your work schedule. Don't worry and good luck!

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

I work in manhattan so I was about 30-45 minutes late everytime I had bw/sono appointment. I would go to my RE appointment way early so I would be the first one in and out. Between bloodwork/sono/seeing RE never more than 1/2 hour. If I worked somewhere on long island, I would never have been late for work. Only took two full days off...retrieval and transfer

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

This has been a HUGE concern of mine from the start. Luckily the RE opens at 6:30 am, but when I had to go for the HSG, Water sono, edo. biopsy I had to tell them I had appts. for other things.
As for my ER and transfer, I am taking vacation days.

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

My RE has monitoring hours 5:45-7:30. I always made sure to go first thing as their office that is right by where I work gets really busy because it's the main location. I was always early for work during monitoring. The only time I was late was when we did the IUI's since they only do those between 8:30-11:00

I obvioulsy took the day of ER off and after my first cycle, I also took the following day off because I was still droopy from the anesthia. My 2nd cycle, I worked from home the day after my ER. I also took 2 days off following my ET at the strong insistence of my husband who didn't want me to move a muscle for two days.

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

My RE has hours from 6:30 - 9am for monitoring. I would get there around 7 and would be at work by 7:45 (I work around 10 minutes from the office).

Good luck!

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

They don't have early morning monitoring where I go AND there is a huge distance between the doctor and my office. I really had no choice but to tell my boss but fortunately I have a very good relationship with him. He was incredibly understanding and supportive which really reduced my stress.

Even with the inconvenient hours and long distances traveled it really wasn't that bad. In the entire 6 weeks I think I was late about 5 times and only took of one day off for my transfer (retrieval was on a Saturday).

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

Thank you for sharing your stories everyone. It puts me a little more at ease. The only thing I did not realize is that I might have to take a day off for the water sono and that is fine.....

Now tell me about how you actually deal with working once you arrive there after all you are going through!

Re: Can you tell me about IVF and your work schedule?

I do early morning monitoring between 6-730am and I work nearby so I'm good..plus I told my boss what I was doing and I am always here early / late so she is very flexible if I have a daytime appointment or anything.

As far as the actual procedures, I took off for the retrieval day, transfer day, a few days after and then this next time I plan on taking off the day I get "the news".