Progyny debuts miscarriage leave for grieving employees

A miscarriage is arguably one of the most devastating experiences a person can go through, and the aftermath requires strength, support and understanding from everyone in a woman’s life, including her employer.

That’s why Progyny, a benefits management company specializing in fertility and family building solutions, has introduced a five-day paid pregnancy loss leave policy for all full-time and part-time employees.

“Our day to day is centered on making the journey to parenthood as seamless as possible for members, but we're focused on what that could mean for our own employees as well,” says Jennifer Bealer, general counsel for Progyny. “We've been thinking about how to really make an impactful change for our own leave policy, and create something that makes the process more equitable and seamless.”

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The leave is not limited to five days per year, but rather five days per miscarriage. The benefit is also available to employees whose spouse, partner or surrogate who experienced a loss, and covers time off for failed adoption matches, adoptions that do not finalize due to legal contestation, or failed surrogacy arrangements.

As many as half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage, but the exact figure is not known because a miscarriage may happen before a woman knows she’s pregnant. About 10% to 15% of pregnancies where the woman knows she is pregnant will end in a miscarriage, according to the March of Dimes. Research has shown the resulting impact on a woman’s health can include depression and anxiety, symptoms that can persist for years.

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“As someone who’s experienced a miscarriage, I can attest to how extremely isolating this experience,” Amanda Lesesne, vice president of business development at Progyny, said in a release. “We hope by offering a pregnancy loss leave, we can help destigmatize this and encourage other companies to recognize the importance of fertility and family building.”