This is a guest post written by Ricky Fox, HR Manager at Fertifa, a workplace health and wellbeing benefits provider. Fertifa partners with London Pregnancy Clinic to offer their patients access to safe and reliable ultrasound scans and NIPT genetic screening. Ricky has worked in HR and People experience for over 5 years and is extremely passionate about equitable workplaces and employee wellbeing.
Managing early pregnancy alongside demanding work can be difficult. Between early pregnancy symptoms, keeping on top of life admin, and coordinating visits for scans and check-ups, balancing work and personal health can quickly feel overwhelming.
UK laws protect pregnant employees' health and safety, but lots of employees still face difficulties, particularly during the first trimester, before they are ready to tell their line managers and HR team that they are pregnant.
At Fertifa, we work closely with progressive employers to build workplaces that are inclusive for working parents and parents to be. In this guide, we break down a pregnant employee's legal rights regarding time off for antenatal appointments, how to manage disclosure at work, and why progressive organisations are expanding employer pregnancy support benefits.
Your legal rights to time off for antenatal care
Under UK employment law, pregnant employees are entitled to paid time off for antenatal care recommended by a doctor, registered midwife or nurse. This means:
- Your employer must pay your standard rate for antenatal appointments during working hours, including reasonable travel time.
- Your employer cannot refuse reasonable time off or penalise you for attending antenatal appointments, including by requiring you to make up the hours.
- These rights apply from your first day of employment. You do not need a minimum length of service.
- Fathers and partners can take unpaid time off for up to two antenatal appointments, capped at 6.5 hours for each appointment.
What counts as antenatal care?
Antenatal care includes any medical care a pregnant employee receives that is recommended by a doctor, midwife, or nurse. Qualifying care can include examinations and consultations, antenatal classes (if recommended by a medical professional), and routine and diagnostic scans. A private early pregnancy scan counts as antenatal care when a medical professional recommends it.
What about time off work for fertility treatment?
UK law does not currently provide a specific right to time off for fertility treatment appointments. This is the case for all fertility treatments, including IVF and IUI. Your employer may offer time off for fertility treatment through its fertility policy, but this is not a statutory right so will vary by company.
Although there is no statutory right for employees to take time off to attend IVF appointments, there are laws and government guidelines in place that employers and employees should be aware of:
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice recommends that employers treat requests for time off for IVF treatment "sympathetically."
- Employers should treat illness caused by IVF treatment like other sickness or medical absences.
- Pregnancy rights begin right after embryo transfer; the final stage of the IVF process. These pregnancy rights give employees the right to "reasonable time off with full pay for pregnancy-related antenatal appointments."
- If the embryo transfer was unsuccessful, employees are protected against pregnancy discrimination for two weeks after finding out. From 2027, the Employment Rights Act 2025 will entitle employees to bereavement leave following an unsuccessful embryo transfer.
UK law provides no specific guidance for IUI or other fertility treatments. The protected period begins once you become pregnant. During the protected period, you can take time off for antenatal appointments and are protected from unfair treatment or dismissal.
Check whether your company has a fertility policy that offers additional leave or workplace adjustments for fertility treatment. If your company does not already have one, Fertifa's Fertility and Family-forming policy template offers a starting point.
Disclosing your pregnancy to your employer during the first trimester
You have no legal obligation to tell your employer that you are pregnant until 15 weeks before your baby is due (usually around 25 weeks of pregnancy), but they may be able to offer support if you do. For example, early disclosure may help you schedule your first pregnancy scan or access antenatal care benefits offered by your employer. Bear in mind that you may be required to provide evidence of pregnancy-related appointments if requested, this could be an appointment card or medical certificate.
Once you tell your employer that you are pregnant, statutory protections against pregnancy and maternity discrimination apply regardless of how far along you are, so there are benefits to letting them know before you reach that 25th week mark. These laws protect you against unfair dismissal and unfavourable treatment related to pregnancy or maternity, including harassment.
Many employees prefer to keep their pregnancy private until after their 12-week scan. Yet, the first trimester is often when medical care is most needed, as physical symptoms like nausea and fatigue are at their worst and you many need time off for pregnancy-related illnesses. It's important to remember that if you do disclose your pregnancy before 12 weeks, your manager and HR teams will be required to keep this information confidential until you choose to share it with your wider team.
Early pregnancy loss is a very difficult and very real worry many people face. If you experience an early loss, your employer must treat the absence as pregnancy-related illness, and it is treated as a protected characteristic. This means your employer must record related sick leave separately, and protections against pregnancy and maternity discrimination continue. From 2027, the government has proposed at least one week of statutory bereavement leave for a pregnancy loss (a loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy). The government is still consulting on the final length of bereavement leave.
If you do not want to disclose your pregnancy to your manager, you could use annual leave or flexible working arrangements for early private appointments.
Best practice for employees to build an inclusive culture
With the evolving landscape of UK employment law following the Employment Rights Act 2025, organisations that lead with empathy will stand out as employers of choice. This Employment Rights Act Calendar will help HR teams navigate these changes to manage what needs to be done and when.
If you are an HR leader looking to improve your organisation's maternity, fertility and reproductive health benefits, download Fertifa's workplace health resources and policy templates. We help HR teams build a supportive, compliant, and forward-thinking workplace where every employee can thrive. Get in touch to learn more.
