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Pregnancy during your studies

Maternity protection

Since January 1, 2018, the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG) also applies to studying. Students to whom the Maternity Protection Act applies are persons who are pregnant, have suffered a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy, have given birth to a child or are breastfeeding.

The aim of maternity protection is to enable pregnant and breastfeeding students to continue their studies without compromising their health or that of their child before and after the birth.

In the event of a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy, there is also an entitlement to maternity protection.

Any disadvantages due to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding must be avoided or compensated for as far as possible.

The Maternity Protection Act protects against health hazards and disadvantages - during pregnancy, after miscarriage, childbirth and during breastfeeding.

Notification of pregnancy, miscarriage and breastfeeding

How do I report my pregnancy, miscarriage or breastfeeding?

According to § 15 MuSchG, you are not obliged to inform the university of your pregnancy and the date of delivery. This also applies if you are breastfeeding or have suffered a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy.

In principle, however, we recommend that you inform the university in your own interest so that you can take advantage of the protective rights under the Maternity Protection Act. This is because the university can only avert possible risks to you as a person affected by a miscarriage or as a person giving birth and your child in good time and take the necessary protective measures if you notify the university in good time.

To notify us, please complete the maternity protection notification form and upload proof of your pregnancy (with a doctor's certificate or an obstetrician's certificate stating the expected date of birth). Please submit the birth certificate for the notification of breastfeeding. To report a miscarriage after the 13th week of pregnancy, please upload proof in the form of a medical certificate stating the end of the pregnancy.

In addition, the MuSchG requires the university to notify the responsible supervisory authority (the Arnsberg district government). You can give us your consent via the notification form.

The university will contact you as soon as possible after receiving your notification.

If you are also employed as a student or research assistant at TU Dortmund University, please also notify the Human Resources Department of your pregnancy/miscarriage/breastfeeding. You can find an overview of contact persons on the website of the Human Resources Department .

After your notification, other parties involved will be informed (Occupational, Environmental and Health Protection Department and contact persons in the departments). Please get in touch with Claudia Hannappel for the risk assessment once you have submitted your report and received an e-mail from Family Services. We also ask you to complete this questionnaire and, if necessary, to submit the overview of current courses.

Together with you and the lecturers, Claudia Hannappel will check whether there are any risks for you and, if necessary, what special needs there are for the continuation of your studies.

If you have any questions, please contact the Family Service:

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