Infertility and the Self Employed: Is the struggle any different?

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode deals with discussions of in/fertility and/or baby loss.
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For a self-employed professional the decision to become a parent, especially when fertility treatment is involved, can mean risking losing a client base that may be hard to regain.

That was the case for Sophie Wellings, a barrister who shared her fertility challenges in this episode.

She was already aware of an issue - a pituitary condition which overproduces cortisol and adrenaline – which she felt may make pregnancy harder.

In addition, her husband works in the film business and is away for sometimes months at a time, creating a logistical challenge of trying for a baby.

The couple decided to pay privately for fertility checks and investigate the potential of IUI, also known as artificial insemination, as her husband works sometimes in countries with Zika Virus.

The checks highlighted that her husband also had some fertility issues.
Sophie shares how IVF ultimately led to her two children, but not without difficult pregnancies and births.

She also talks about the challenges of being self-employed, which may provide some flexibility compared to employment but also comes with the risk that re-starting after maternity leave can be tough.

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GUEST BIO:
Sophie is a Barrister and was called to the bar in 2011 as a member of Gray’s Inn. She is at QEB, one of the leading family law chambers in the country. This is a set you don’t get into without dedication, hard work and serious ambition and Sophie was the typical “A-type” who thrived on the graft. Sophie thought she could work her way through any problem. A typical Yorkshire girl, Sophie always had the Monty-python approach - “Tis but a flesh wound”.

That was all called into question in 2017 when Sophie first found out she needed fertility treatment to start a family and her career has since been punctuated by: fertility treatment, IVF, hyperemesis gravidarum, a traumatic birth requiring emergency surgery and multiple transfusions followed by significant rehabilitation, time with her miracle baby Juno, recovery… back to work, pandemic, then more IVF, more hyperemesis gravidarum, more complications, periods of bed rest and finally the birth of her second (and final) miracle, Otis via c-section. “Twas not but a flesh wound”.

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CONNECT WITH US
You can engage with the hosts and the growing In/Fertility in the City community by:
-emailing us: info@infertilityinthecity.com
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OUR SPONSOR
Finally, thanks to Fertifa, the UK’s leading reproductive healthcare benefits provider, for sponsoring this season of the podcast. You can find out more about Fertifa here: https://www.fertifa.com. You can also contact them direct here: enquiries@fertifa.com