The complete guide to fertility benefits for employees: Dos, don'ts, and building a best-in-class program

Fertility benefits are employer-provided programs that help employees pay for and navigate family building — including IVF, IUI, egg and sperm freezing, fertility medications, surrogacy, and adoption — alongside emotional and clinical support. To build a program that truly works, survey your employees, benchmark against your industry, partner with a comprehensive vendor, cover the whole person (clinical, emotional, and financial needs), and communicate the benefit clearly. Below, you'll find step-by-step guidance, a dos-and-don'ts checklist, what best-in-class coverage looks like, and how to measure impact.

Fertility and family-building benefits have become table stakes for competitive employers. With one in eight couples experiencing infertility, more of your workforce needs support building their families than ever before — and companies that offer comprehensive fertility benefits see stronger retention, higher satisfaction, and a deeper sense of belonging.

What are fertility benefits for employees?

Fertility benefits are employer-sponsored programs that provide clinical, emotional, and financial support for employees pursuing parenthood. They pick up where traditional health insurance leaves off, covering the specific costs and care needs of family building — diagnostics, treatments, medications, fertility preservation, and paths like surrogacy and adoption.

Key facts:

• Who they help: Not only people with an infertility diagnosis, but also same-sex couples, single parents by choice, and employees pursuing egg or sperm freezing, surrogacy, or adoption.
• Why they matter: Fertility challenges take a serious toll. Up to 52% of women experiencing fertility challenges report anxiety and depressive symptoms, and the high cost of treatment can put care out of reach without coverage.
• The business case: Employees who feel supported in family building are more likely to stay, driving retention and loyalty.

Why traditional health plans often fall short

Standard health insurance frequently leaves gaps. High out-of-pocket costs and complex coverage rules create confusion and stress — confusion that can push employees to start treatment prematurely or, just as often, avoid it altogether.

We call this the "fertility blindspot": when companies offer fertility benefits to check a box but never check in on whether the support is actually helping people build their families. A well-designed benefit does the opposite. It gives employees clear, comprehensive support so they can make informed decisions without unnecessary financial or emotional pressure.

How do you build a fertility benefits plan?

Building a fertility benefits plan comes down to four steps: assess needs, benchmark, choose the right vendor, and communicate clearly.

Step 1: Assess employee needs

‍Start by listening to your team. Run anonymous surveys or focus groups to understand what your employees actually value, then use that feedback and anonymized data to shape a plan that reflects your workforce.

Step 2: Benchmark against industry standards

‍Look at what competitors and peers offer. Competitive benefits packages are increasingly essential to attracting and retaining talent, so knowing the fertility benefits standard for your industry helps your offering stand out.

Step 3: Partner with the right vendor

‍Choose a partner that supports the whole journey — from clinical guidance to emotional care. The best providers tailor their fertility services to your organization's goals and deliver culturally sensitive, personalized care.

Questions to ask a potential fertility benefits vendor:

1. Do you provide on-demand access to fertility specialists and referrals to high-quality clinics?
2. Is virtual support available 24/7, regardless of where employees live?
3. Do you cover the full range of paths — IVF, IUI, egg and sperm freezing, surrogacy, and adoption?
4. What emotional and mental health support is included?
5. What financial support models do you offer (reimbursement, cycle-based, lifetime maximums)?
6. How do you support diverse family structures, including same-sex couples and single parents?

Step 4: Communicate benefits clearly

Make sure employees know what's available through multiple channels — emails, intranet posts, and benefits fairs. Highlight inclusivity to reinforce your commitment to every family-building path.

What are the dos and don'ts of fertility benefits?

Use this checklist when designing or refining your program.

Do: Survey your employees

Anonymous surveys reveal which fertility benefits would be most valuable, so your strategy maps to the real challenges and preferences of your workforce.

Don't: Assume all employees face the same challenges

Avoid one-size-fits-all solutions. The right partner offers personalized care for diverse needs—from fertility treatment to adoption and surrogacy.

Do: Track the right metrics

Measure effectiveness through engagement and utilization rates to see where benefits land hardest and where there's room to improve.

Don't: Make assumptions about success

Look beyond the numbers. Success isn't just utilization—it's whether employees feel genuinely supported and understood.

Do: Provide benefits for the whole person

Fertility challenges reach well beyond physical health. Address mental, emotional, and financial wellness so employees feel cared for at every stage.

Don't: Neglect the emotional aspect

Fertility challenges are deeply personal and stressful. Overlooking the emotional toll can leave employees isolated, so build in mental health support and counseling resources.

What does a best-in-class fertility benefit include?

The strongest programs support three areas: clinical, emotional, and financial.

Clinical fertility support: Your provider should offer on-demand access to fertility specialists and referrals to high-quality clinics. Common treatments to support include:

• Fertility medications like Clomid or Serophene
• Injectable hormones to trigger ovulation
• Surgeries that can restore fertility
• Reproductive assistance like IVF (in vitro fertilization) or IUI (intrauterine insemination)
• Fertility preservation, such as egg or sperm freezing

Employees should also have 24/7 virtual support, so they can get care wherever they are.

Emotional support for fertility challenges and treatment: Fertility treatment can weigh heavily on employees and their partners. As Heather Lucas, Director of Benefits and Wellness at The Scotts Company, noted in a Maven webinar:

"Without the proper support and guidance, whether that's from your employer or your personal support system, the stress can further intensify the emotional toll that someone may already be facing."

Emotional support built specifically around fertility helps employees through the pivotal moments of their journey.

Financial support for fertility treatment: Best-in-class programs ease the often significant cost of a fertility journey. Financial support can include:

• Reimbursement programs
• Cycle-based or lifetime financial coverage
• Fertility-related leave

As Lucas explained: "Without the financial support, individuals can face significant financial burdens, adding to their stress, and potentially creating more financial hardship down the line."

How do you measure the impact of fertility benefits?

Measure impact through three lenses: employee satisfaction, retention and loyalty, and ROI.

Employee satisfaction surveys

‍Run anonymous surveys on overall satisfaction, ease of access, and areas to improve. Tracking responses year over year surfaces trends and shows where employees feel supported — and where you can do more.

Retention and loyalty metrics‍

Compare retention rates before and after you introduce the benefit. Look at the average tenure of employees who use fertility benefits versus those who don't — higher retention among users points to a program that builds loyalty. Referrals and recommendations are worth tracking too, since they reveal how the benefit strengthens your employer brand.

ROI analysis

‍Assess return by examining reductions in turnover, gains in loyalty, and improvements in talent attraction since launch. Cohort analysis helps here — measuring outcomes among the groups most likely to engage with the benefit.

At The Scotts Company, Lucas's team leaned on employee feedback:

"We've received lots of feedback that our associates have shared that they felt well supported and less alone in their journey, and they really value the 24/7 provider support [from our benefits]."

Better-supported employees tend to be more engaged and productive. Connecting satisfaction to tangible outcomes — productivity, reduced recruitment costs — demonstrates the long-term value of comprehensive fertility benefits.

Case study: How Cozen O'Connor built an inclusive fertility benefit

When law firm Cozen O'Connor set out to strengthen its benefits strategy, surveys and direct feedback revealed that many employees were carrying the financial and emotional weight of fertility challenges. Cozen O'Connor partnered with Maven to design a benefit that spoke to those specific pain points.

The program provides:

• Access to fertility specialists
• Mental health providers
• Financial counseling
• Guidance across every family-building path — IVF, egg freezing, surrogacy, and adoption

The result: Since launch, Cozen O'Connor has seen employee engagement rise, and employees have voiced appreciation for the firm's commitment to their family goals. That feedback continues to fuel improvements that keep the program relevant.

Read the full case study →

Frequently asked questions about fertility benefits

What treatments should fertility benefits cover? Best-in-class benefits cover fertility medications (like Clomid or Serophene), injectable hormones for ovulation, fertility-restoring surgeries, reproductive assistance such as IVF and IUI, and fertility preservation like egg or sperm freezing — plus non-clinical paths like surrogacy and adoption.

Who is eligible for fertility benefits? The most inclusive programs support all employees pursuing parenthood — not only those with a medical infertility diagnosis, but also same-sex couples, single parents by choice, and employees pursuing fertility preservation, surrogacy, or adoption.

What is the difference between traditional health insurance and comprehensive fertility benefits? Traditional health plans often carry high out-of-pocket costs and complex coverage rules that create confusion. Comprehensive fertility benefits add clinical guidance, 24/7 emotional support, and financial assistance (such as reimbursement, cycle-based, or lifetime coverage) to fill those gaps.

What financial support models do fertility benefits use? Common models include reimbursement programs, cycle-based or lifetime maximum financial coverage, and fertility-related leave.

How do you measure whether a fertility benefit is working? Track employee satisfaction surveys, retention and loyalty metrics (including tenure comparisons between users and non-users), and ROI through cohort analysis of turnover, loyalty, and talent attraction.

Why do fertility benefits matter for retention? Employees who feel supported in family building are more likely to stay. Given that one in eight couples experience infertility — and up to 52% of women facing fertility challenges report anxiety or depressive symptoms — meaningful support builds a more engaged, loyal workforce.

Next steps

HR and benefits leaders: Explore 100+ tools, templates, and checklists to help you support employees.

See how leading companies design benefits: Read Maven's annual report.

Ready to build a program? Learn how Maven's fertility and family-building programs can transform your workplace.

Maven is the world's largest virtual clinic for women and families, on a mission to make healthcare work for all of us. Our fertility and family-building support is designed for the diverse needs of today's workforce—from personalized care and 24/7 specialist access to emotional and financial guidance—so every employee feels supported throughout their family-building journey.