Endometriosis, infertility and occupational life: women's plea for recognition.

The objective of this study was to explore and describe the specificities of the occupational life of infertile endometriotic women treated by in vitro fertilization. We conducted a qualitative monocentric study between December 2020 and June 2021. Twelve semi-structured in-depth interviews using a theme-based interview guide with open questions were undertaken with infertile women with deep infiltrating endometriosis. Data analysis was conducted using an inductive approach according to the grounded theory method. Three main themes emerged from the interviews: (i) barriers to reconciling illness and work life, (ii) facilitating factors for well-being at work, and (iii) consequences and outlooks. It appeared that the time of infertility treatment represents a particular period of change in the working lives of women with endometriosis. For most women, these changes are experienced negatively, often with a renunciation of goals. For others, this is the time to communicate the difficulties linked to their illness to their professional entourage. There is a long path ahead to finally achieving recognition of endometriosis in the context of professional life.

Psychosocial and professional burden of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR): Results from a French survey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of infertility and Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) throughout all aspects of life among infertile women and men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey included 1 045 French patients (355 men, 690 women) who were living or had lived the experience of infertility and MAR. The questionnaire included 56 questions on several domains: global feelings, treatment burden, rapport with medical staff, psychosocial impact, sexual life and professional consequences. RESULTS: Respondents had experienced an average of 3.6 (95% CI: 3.3-3.9) MAR cycles: 5% (n = 46) were pregnant, 4% (n = 47) were waiting to start MAR, 50% (n = 522) succeeded in having a live birth following MAR, 19% (n = 199) were currently undergoing ART, and 21% (n = 221) dropped out of the MAR process without a live birth. Satisfaction rates regarding the received medical care were above 80%, but 42% of patients pointed out the lack of information about non-medical support. An important impact on sexual life was reported, with 21% of patients admitted having not had intercourse for several weeks or even several months. Concerning the impact on professional life, 63% of active workers currently in an MAR program (n = 185) considered that MAR had strong repercussions on the organization of their working life with 49% of them reporting a negative impact on the quality of their work, and 46% of them reporting the necessity to lie about missing work during their treatment. CONCLUSION: Despite a high overall level of satisfaction regarding medical care, the burden of infertility and MAR on quality of life is strong, especially on sexuality and professional organization. Clinical staff should be encouraged to develop non-medical support for all patients at any stage of infertility treatment. Enterprises should be warned about the professional impact of infertility and MAR to help their employees reconcile personal and professional life.