Parenthood Your Way: Reflections from the Women’s Dermatologic Society Forum 2026

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Parenthood Your Way: Reflections from the Women’s Dermatologic Society Forum 2026

Authors: Amaris Geisler, MD, FAAD and Mary L. Stevenson, MD, FAAD

 

As doctors, we spend our careers counseling patients, offering education, and encouraging proactive health decisions. Ironically, many of us know little about our own reproductive health and family planning options – including fertility preservation and parental leave policies – even though medical training overlaps with our prime family-building years.1 Should I freeze my eggs during residency? Will parental leave affect my training? How do I pursue parenthood while building a practice or an academic career? are questions that often go undiscussed. The Women’s Dermatologic Society is in a unique position to educate, mentor, advocate, and redefine what success in medicine looks like. Success is no longer measured solely by publications, promotions, leadership titles, or clinical productivity. It is also reflected in whether physicians feel empowered to build lives that align with their own values. In 2001, the Women’s Dermatologic Society stated that having children during residency should be an “anticipated event” and called for the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) and residency programs to prepare accordingly.2,3

 

A survey of 183 members of the Women’s Dermatologic Society demonstrated that about half of those who had children did so during residency.2 Of 69 members who did not have children, one-third reported choosing success in their career rather than a family.2 Though it is not clear how many of these woman also desired a family, unfortunately it has been estimated that up to 75% of female physicians utilize fertility preservation later than recommended.4 More information about planned oocyte cryopreservation (POC, also known as egg freezing) or planned embryo cryopreservation (PEC) can be found in a recent publication in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology titled “Fertility planning for women in medicine: a call for an active approach”: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13322478/.5

 

Importantly, this conversation extends far beyond fertility alone. Parenthood is not synonymous with pregnancy, nor should family planning discussions be based solely on women. Family planning may include natural conception, assisted reproductive technologies (ART), surrogacy, fostering, or adoption.6 Family planning affects every gender, every family structure, and every career stage.

 

The American Board of Dermatology allows a maximum of 8 weeks away from training per year (6 weeks of leave plus 2 weeks of vacation), or 16 weeks away from training over 3 years.2,3,7,8 The United States Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that protects leave time up to 12 weeks per year for qualifying family and medical reasons for attending physicians, however, it is unpaid.3,4 Additionally, the law may not apply to many physicians in private practice as it is only applicable to those employed by a company of 50 or more employees, which they would have had to work at for at least 1 year.3,9

 

The United States is the only industrialized country without federally mandated paid parental leave.3,10,11 In contrast, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada all guarantee women at least 6 months of paid maternity leave.3 It is disheartening that the evidence-based practices that we recommend to our own patients, are not afforded to us, with many trainees working through difficult pregnancies, postponing fertility treatments, or returning to work earlier than desired because of inconsistent and unclear policies, as well as flexibility stigma and fear of jeopardizing future career opportunities.7,11

 

In the survey of 183 members of the Women’s Dermatologic Society, 41% of respondents negotiated their maternity leave including 64.3% of attending physicians and 33.3% if residents.2 In this study, 25% of respondents took less than 4 weeks of maternity leave, 42.7% took 4-8 weeks, 25% took 9-12 weeks, and 7.3% took more than 12 weeks.2 Unfortunately, 40% of women felt that they missed out on their children’s milestones.2 Parental leave policies are insufficient without program level strategies to increase transparency, ensure equitable workplace policies, foster a culture of support without the sense of flexibility stigma, foster mentorship relationships supporting work life balance, and allow the freedom to pursue family planning in a way that affects each individuals priorities.11-13

 

The Women’s Dermatologic Society has long championed mentorship, leadership development, and success in our specialty. Fertility and family planning represent a natural extension of that mission. Just as mentorship surrounding financial literacy and practice management exists, we should also normalize discussions regarding fertility and family planning, including parental leave and support for new parents. Advocating for our colleagues to have accurate education, informed counseling and mentorship, as well as meaningful institutional support for extended leave time empowers them to make informed decisions that align with their personal and professional goals. Providing adequate parental leave and resources during the transition to parenthood is a small investment that can establish lasting benefits by improving physician fulfillment, career longevity, retention, and sustained commitment to both institutions and patients.9 There is no single path to a successful career, and there is no single path to parenthood.

 References:

1.         Rubio-Chavez A, Koelliker EL, Askew EA, et al. Pragmatic Parental Support to Mitigate Burnout Among Pregnant and Postpartum Trainees: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Jama. Jun 9 2026;335(22):1938-1948. doi:10.1001/jama.2026.5663

2.         Mattessich S, Shea K, Whitaker-Worth D. Parenting and female dermatologists’ perceptions of work-life balance. International Journal of Women's Dermatology. 2017/09/01/ 2017;3(3):127-130. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.04.001

3.         Peart JM, Klein RS, Pappas-Taffer L, Lipoff JB. Parental leave in dermatology residency: ethical considerations. J Am Acad Dermatol. Oct 2015;73(4):707-9. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.05.016

4.         Fan C, Wei AH, Milroy CL, Goldman KN, Flyckt R, Lucas J. Fertility planning for women in medicine: a call for an active approach. International Journal of Women's Dermatology. 2026;12:e291 - e291.

5.         Fan C, Wei AH, Milroy C, Goldman KN, Flyckt R, Lucas J. Fertility planning for women in medicine: a call for an active approach. Int J Womens Dermatol. Oct 2026;12(3):e291. doi:10.1097/jw9.0000000000000291

6.         Atkinson RB, Castillo-Angeles M, Kim ES, et al. The Long Road to Parenthood: Assisted Reproduction, Surrogacy, and Adoption Among US Surgeons. Ann Surg. Jan 1 2022;275(1):106-114. doi:10.1097/sla.0000000000005253

7.         Magudia K, Campbell SR, Rangel EL, et al. Medical Specialty Board Parental, Caregiver, and Medical Leave Policy Updates After 2021 American Board of Medical Specialties Mandate. Jama. Nov 9 2021;326(18):1867-1870. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.15871

8.         Humphrey VS, Wyant WA, Brag KO. Family planning influences and perceptions among dermatology residents from ACGME-accredited training programs: a survey-based study. Arch Dermatol Res. May 11 2024;316(5):159. doi:10.1007/s00403-024-02882-9

9.         Knell J, Kim ES, Rangel EL. The Challenges of Parenthood for Female Surgeons: The Current Landscape and Future Directions. J Surg Res. Aug 2023;288:A1-a8. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2023.02.042

10.       Rangel EL, Castillo-Angeles M, Easter SR, et al. Incidence of Infertility and Pregnancy Complications in US Female Surgeons. JAMA Surg. Oct 1 2021;156(10):905-915. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3301

11.       Rangel EL. Work-Life Integration in Medicine: A Movement, Not a Mandate. JAMA Netw Open. Jan 3 2023;6(1):e2250957. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.50957

12.       Castillo-Angeles M, Atkinson RB, Easter SR, et al. Pregnancy During Surgical Training: Are Residency Programs Truly Supporting Their Trainees? J Surg Educ. Nov-Dec 2022;79(6):e92-e102. doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.06.011

13.       Rangel EL, Lyu H, Haider AH, Castillo-Angeles M, Doherty GM, Smink DS. Factors Associated With Residency and Career Dissatisfaction in Childbearing Surgical Residents. JAMA Surg. Nov 1 2018;153(11):1004-1011. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2018.2571

 

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