Why employees aren't using their fertility benefits, and how integrated care can fix it

The short answer

Employees often don't use their fertility benefits because those benefits are fragmented, poorly communicated, and disconnected from the rest of the family-building journey. In fact, 42% of employees facing fertility challenges don't even know where to find support at work. When fertility care shows up as an isolated point solution — walled off from pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting support — employees get confused, disengage, or skip the benefit entirely. Integrated, end-to-end care solves this by connecting every stage under one coordinated experience.

What you need to know:

45% of global companies now offer fertility benefits, but many aren't integrated across the full family-building journey.
Even as women's and family health benefits grew by 39% on average, the share of employees who feel those benefits support them "very well" dropped by 10% across every category surveyed, according to Maven’s 2026 State of Women’s and Family Health Benefits report.
Fragmentation, rather than a lack of coverage, drives confusion, low awareness, and underutilization.
Integrated models improve clinical outcomes, boost engagement, and lower costs — up to $5,000 in savings per member and $9,600 per birth.

Why aren't employees using their fertility benefits?

Fertility benefits are one of the fastest-growing areas of employer-sponsored healthcare. 45% of global companies now provide fertility support for men and women, and 58% plan to add or enhance what they already offer.

But offering a benefit isn't the same as employees using it. The gap comes down to three problems:

Low awareness. Employees often don't know what benefits exist. In fact, 56% of UK organizations that offer fertility support had never told employees about the benefit, and 83% of men don't know where to turn for male-specific reproductive health support.
Fragmentation and friction. 54% of employers deliver benefits across different platforms, each with its own login. As a result, more than 40% of employees find dealing with multiple vendors confusing.
Disconnected care. Fertility is treated as a standalone event instead of the first step in a journey that continues through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting.

The outcome is a clear employee benefits paradox: employers are investing more, but employees feel less supported. For fertility benefits to matter, communication, navigation, and care coordination count as much as breadth of coverage.

The limitations of point solutions

Many fertility benefits programs focus on one thing: treatment access. They cover procedures or connect employees with fertility clinics. That coverage matters—but it doesn't address the full spectrum of care employees actually need.

Point solutions typically miss:

Preconception and family-planning guidance
Support during pregnancy
Postpartum recovery and mental health
The transition into early parenting

That gap matters to employees:

31% say their most important benefit is support for preparing to have a family.
21% say parenting benefits would influence them to take a new job.

Over the past year, organizations have added or expanded support across:

Fertility
Adoption and surrogacy
Paid parental leave beyond statutory minimums
Parenting resources
Mental health

But breadth alone hasn't closed the experience gap. When each of these lives with a separate vendor, employees are left to stitch the journey together on their own—and many don't.

How does integrated care improve outcomes?

Integrated care models coordinate support across the entire family-building journey. Instead of handing employees off between disconnected vendors, one care team guides members through fertility treatment, watches for pregnancy risks, and provides postpartum support—so the clinical guidance stays consistent at every stage.

Better clinical outcomes for employees

With coaching, Fertility members are 55% more likely to conceive without treatment, and 30% achieve pregnancy without IUI or IVF.
When Maven Fertility and Maternity programs are combined, C-section rates drop by 15%.
Maven members see up to 27% lower NICU admissions.
21% of members report improvements in emotional well-being during pregnancy and postpartum.

Better business outcomes for employers

When providers coordinate across fertility and maternity care, unnecessary treatments can be avoided and risks caught earlier.

88% of Maven members report increased productivity at work.
A holistic approach can lower the cost of care by up to 30%, with employers seeing up to $5,000 in savings per member across all health plans and an average of $9,600 per birth.
94% of parents return to work after maternity leave—well above the 57% national average.
1 in 4 Maven Parenting & Pediatrics members avoid workday appointments.
Employees supported by Maven are 74% more likely to stay with their employer.

How Maven supports the full family journey

Employees benefit most when a care model treats fertility as one part of a broader health journey. Maven's coordinated care model delivers a connected experience where diagnostics, care navigation, provider visits, and clinical guidance all live under one roof, and every step is informed by the ones before it.

What that looks like in practice:

A dedicated Care Advocate for every member, so care is personalized and coordinated—not generic advice that overlooks underlying health conditions.
Support for men, women, and couples from day one, to improve success and lower total costs.
Access to top U.S. and global fertility clinics paired with expert care management, for better outcomes regardless of location.
24/7 access to trusted providers across more than 30 specialties, including OB-GYNs, doulas, midwives, sleep coaches, and speech therapists.
A tailored content library, with articles, videos, and classes matched to each member's journey.

Bringing these elements together lets employers move past fragmented point solutions and deliver a connected care experience that supports employees at every stage while producing more consistent clinical and financial outcomes.

Questions to ask before choosing a fertility benefits vendor

Use this checklist to gauge whether a fertility benefit will actually get used—and deliver results:

Integration: Does the program connect fertility, maternity, postpartum, and parenting in one experience, or is each stage a separate vendor and login?
Communication: How does the vendor help you drive awareness so employees know the benefit exists?
Navigation: Is there a dedicated Care Advocate to guide members through each stage?
Care model: Is this support comprehensive, including resources like preconception guidance and male reproductive health — not just treatment access?
Eligibility: Who's covered? Are men, couples, and dependents included?
Access: Are top fertility clinics available regardless of where employees live, including globally?
Outcomes: What clinical and cost outcomes does the vendor report — conception rates, C-section rates, NICU admissions, cost savings?
Engagement: What utilization and satisfaction rates does the vendor achieve?

Frequently asked questions

Why don't employees use fertility benefits even when they're offered? The usual reasons are low awareness (many employees don't know the benefit exists—56% of UK employers offering fertility support hadn't told staff), fragmentation across multiple platforms and logins, and care that's disconnected from the rest of the family-building journey. Offering a benefit isn't enough; communication, navigation, and coordination decide whether it gets used.

How common are employer fertility benefits? 45% of global companies now offer fertility support for men and women, and 58% plan to add or enhance their offering.

What is the "benefits paradox"? It's the gap between employer investment and employee experience. Employers increased women's and family health benefits by an average of 39%, yet the share of employees who feel those benefits support them "very well" dropped by an average of 10%.

What's the difference between a point solution and an integrated care model? A point solution focuses on a single stage, usually fertility treatment access or clinic connections. An integrated care model coordinates the whole journey (preconception, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting) through one connected experience and care team.

Do fertility benefits need to include men? Yes. 83% of men don't know where to turn for male-specific reproductive health support. Including men and couples from day one improves success rates and lowers total costs.

How does integrated care save employers money? By coordinating across fertility and maternity care, unnecessary treatments can be avoided and risks caught earlier. Employers can see up to 30% lower cost of care, up to $5,000 in savings per member, and an average of $9,600 in savings per birth.

Who is eligible for Maven's family-building support? Maven supports men, women, and couples, with coverage extending to family members up to age 26.

What specialties can members access through Maven? Members can reach providers across more than 30 specialties—including OB-GYNs, doulas, midwives, sleep coaches, and speech therapists—24/7.

Download the buyer's guide

Choosing the right fertility benefits partner starts with understanding how care is coordinated across the full family-building journey. Our Buyer's Guide walks through the questions employers should ask vendors about care models, outcomes, and program design.

Download the guide to learn how to evaluate integrated women's and family health benefits solutions.