Woman told her miscarriage was ‘best thing’ as a baby would ‘destroy her career’

A woman who suffered a miscarriage says she was told by her boss that “it was the best thing that could happen to her” – before being sacked. Campaigners warned that going through fertility treatment and experiencing the “utter heartbreak” of losing a baby “can be excruciating” for many women, and that the trauma can be worsened by hostile employers. It was such a bad time of my life.” Serena* said she also experienced “huge discrimination” in her job while going through fertility treatment. “I have been told repeatedly that any side effects from fertility treatment are self-inflicted, and I was selfish for having special measures in place as it put more pressure on the rest of the team just so I could have a baby.” Joeli Brearley, chief executive of Pregnant Then Screwed, said the organisation’s helpline is witnessing a growing volume of calls from “women who experience discrimination in the workplace as a result of reproductive health issues”. “This discriminatory behaviour doesn’t just impact women’s career prospects; the lasting impact on their mental health can be devastating, and costly to both businesses and to staff wellbeing,” added the campaigner, whose organisation is starting a new programme to enable workplaces to better handle reproductive health.