Experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy can be very distressing. It is essential that working teachers and support staff who experience these conditions are fully supported at work. The NEU is calling on the government and employers to improve on the rights of working women and their partners to additional support and paid time off to grieve and heal after a pregnancy loss.
Ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of a woman’s womb, usually in one of her fallopian tubes. The egg can continue to grow and can cause the fallopian tube to rupture; this in turn can lead to internal bleeding and frequently requires surgery. It is a life-threatening condition with potential physical and mental health implications. A woman who experiences an ectopic pregnancy often loses a fallopian tube which can reduce her fertility.
According to the NHS and RCOG, in the UK, just over 1 per cent of pregnancies are ectopic1. If you have experienced an ectopic pregnancy, you have our sympathy. Please follow our guidance on your rights at work and what steps you can take to protect yourself. If you suspect you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy now, you should seek emergency medical advice.
Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy may occur from as early as four weeks into a woman’s pregnancy and up to 12 weeks or even later.
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust offers advice for women on the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy and what steps to take. You can find contact details at the end of this guidance.
Molar pregnancy
A molar pregnancy is when a fetus doesn’t form properly in a woman’s womb after conception. The NHS2 describes this pregnancy complication as a rare condition that happens by chance.
Sadly, a molar pregnancy will result in loss as the baby and placenta will not be able to survive.
Some molar pregnancies end by miscarriage; others require the mother to have surgery.
Molar pregnancies are very rare. The charity Tommy’s reports that they are more common in teenage girls and women over 45 and that they are about twice as common in women of Asian origin.3
If you have any concerns about you or your baby’s health, please seek advice from your medical practitioner. A molar pregnancy may not have any symptoms. A woman may only find out about a molar pregnancy during her first pregnancy ultrasound scan at around 8 to 14 weeks. If you are diagnosed with a molar pregnancy, you have our sympathy. Please follow our guidance on your rights at work and what steps you can take to protect yourself.
If you experience an ectopic or molar pregnancy loss, you might not yet have informed your employer that you were pregnant. There is no obligation on you, in the early weeks of your pregnancy, to inform your employer that you are expecting; and you are not obliged to disclose your pregnancy loss if you do not feel comfortable to do so.
You should be able to disclose your pregnancy and your pregnancy loss without fear of being disadvantaged or discriminated against. Detrimental treatment to you on grounds of your pregnancy loss would be unlawful. We do know, however, that women are often cautious about divulging this personal and distressing information.
If you do choose to tell your employer, your head or your line manager, you are fully within your rights to ask them to keep the knowledge of your pregnancy or pregnancy loss confidential only to those who need to know for health and safety purposes; they should tell you who this is. They should listen to you, show sympathy and understanding, enable you to take the time off you need to recover physically and mentally from your experience and support you when you are ready to return to work.
Often, ectopic pregnancies can require emergency surgery for which a woman is likely to require additional time off. Similarly, some mothers who experience a molar pregnancy will need to undergo surgery. For any sick leave absence, you should receive the sick pay you would have been paid had you not been absent for a pregnancy-related reason.
You will be able to self-certify your absence for seven calendar days; if you need to be off for more than seven days, you can ask your doctor or hospital for a ‘fit note’ (aka a sick note).
If you don’t feel able to tell your employer about your pregnancy or your pregnancy loss, your employer won’t treat any absence as pregnancy-related; if you take sick leave your standard sick leave and pay provisions will apply.
If your employer is aware of your pregnancy, you are protected from discrimination in relation to any pregnancy-related sickness absence during your pregnancy and up to two weeks after the end of your pregnancy. Your employer must record any pregnancy-related absences separately from other sickness absence records and your leave should not trigger absence monitoring procedures.
Unfortunately, parliament has not yet introduced a statutory right to maternity or bereavement leave or pay for prospective parents who lose a baby through ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy before the end of 24 weeks’ gestation. The NEU is keenly aware of the need for additional time for grieving parents to heal from a pregnancy loss and is campaigning for the statutory right to be extended to all parents experiencing the loss of a pregnancy before the end of 24 weeks.
The NEU has developed a pregnancy loss policy4 which goes beyond the minimum statutory entitlements. We encourage our branches to press employers to adopt the policy. If your employer has adopted this policy, you may be entitled to additional paid time off to recover from an ectopic or molar pregnancy.
If your employer does not offer explicit paid time off in relation to ectopic or molar pregnancy, your standard sick leave and pay provisions will apply; you and your partner might also be entitled to paid special leave, compassionate leave, or other unpaid leave.
Immediate steps
❱ If you are experiencing ectopic pregnancy symptoms at work, you should seek immediate medical advice. Inform your line manager, head, or principal that you are experiencing a medical emergency and arrange - or ask someone to help you arrange - an emergency medical consultation, or transport to your local A&E department.
❱ If you are experiencing any other unusual symptoms during your pregnancy, or you suspect a molar pregnancy or miscarriage, seek advice and make an appointment with your midwife or GP.
❱ Focus on your own health and try not to worry about work. Be vigilant and follow any medical advice.
❱ If you are going to need some time off on sick leave, ask your medical practitioner for a ‘fit note’ (aka sick note) and follow your usual sickness reporting procedures.
❱ If you prefer to keep your pregnancy and your pregnancy loss private from your employer, you can ask that that the medical note does not include this information. Alternatively, if you are comfortable to disclose your pregnancy and your loss to your employer, you could ask for your pregnancy loss to be included on the medical note. Disclosing your pregnancy protects you against any unlawful discrimination.
❱ Should you require immediate, confidential support including counselling or coaching related to your own experience, you can contact the Education Partnership helpline on 08000 562 561 or at educationsupport.org.uk
When you are out of immediate danger
❱ You may or may not be ready to return to work once your physical health has stabilised after your loss; seek advice from your medical practitioner.
❱ Familiarise yourself with your terms and conditions – they should be listed in your letter of appointment. Seek out the sickness and maternity policies, and any special absence or pregnancy/baby loss policies that apply in your school or college – your NEU workplace rep or school office should be able to help you locate them.
❱ Browse the practical pack of NEU pregnancy loss resources; you can use the sample letters to help you write emails or letters to your employer.
❱ If you have disclosed your pregnancy and/or your loss to your employer, it is important that you discuss with your head or line manager whether you wish to inform other staff about your situation. You are entirely within your rights to ask that the information remains confidential and is shared only with certain trusted individuals.
❱ Some women prefer to share information as they try to recover from the experience. If you do choose to share any details of your experience, discuss with your head or line manager how and when you would like to share the information with your colleagues. Consider speaking to your NEU rep or women at work who have previously shared their experience of an ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy or miscarriage for tips and advice. Networking with other women with similar experiences can help you understand and assert your rights at work.
❱ Seek advice from your GP if you are being pressed to return to work before you are physically or mentally ready to return. It can be particularly difficult for teachers and support staff to return to an education setting when they are grieving a pregnancy loss.
❱ Use and share the practical pack of NEU pregnancy loss resources. You can adapt the sample letters and you could ask your rep or line manager whether your school or college has adopted the NEU model policy – it can be used by members to improve the safety, welfare, and other working conditions of working women experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy.
❱ Keep records and screenshots of your conversations and communications with your employer or agency and confirm all important conversations by email.
❱ If your head, line manager, employer or agency does not uphold your rights, ask your NEU rep for support.
❱ Contact the NEU AdviceLine on 0345 811 8111 or email us at [email protected] if you need further advice about your rights at work.
Pregnancy loss and termination
An introduction to our resources for members, reps and leaders on pregnancy loss and termination.