According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, the number of U.S. employers offering fertility benefits to their workforce skyrocketed 40% between 2022 and last year, responding to evolving, post-COVID employee expectations and the quickly realized ROI of such benefits.
Now, menopause benefits are just as rapidly trending upward; family-building and wellbeing company WIN, for instance, saw an increase of 185% in menopause benefits clients in 2024.
Dr. Roger Shedlin, CEO of WIN, says the data suggests that employers increasingly recognize women’s health benefits need an approach that views healthcare along a continuum, with menopause offerings as the next logical step. In the next decade, WIN estimates the women’s digital health market will see an annual growth rate of more than 21%—surpassing $25 billion by 2035.
Yet, the employer benefits landscape is poised to be shaken up by the new Trump administration, the advent of which has raised questions about the future of women’s reproductive rights, the impact of DEI rollbacks and more.
Shedlin predicts the administration’s positioning on issues like abortion rights, alongside recent legislative and judicial moves, will ultimately bolster employer investment in women’s health benefits.
“What we’ve seen repeatedly,” Shedlin says, “is that the more legal or regulatory challenges there are [around women’s healthcare], the more interest there is on the part of CHROs—to cover these gaps and make up for it.”
The acceleration of attention to women’s health benefits that Shedlin envisions will mark a continuation of ongoing growth in recent years. In 2024, WIN saw a 70% growth in fertility benefit clients at organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees and 57% growth at companies with 1,000-2,500 employees.
Apart from new adoption of fertility and menopause offerings, he says, WIN has noticed those employers already prioritizing women’s health are reimagining the benefits.
What largely started as “infertility benefits,” for instance, are now typically considered “fertility benefits”—with many plans waiving previous requirements for proof of infertility and expanding coverage to include same-sex couples and single-by-choice intended parents. At the same time, Shedlin says, WIN has seen benefits limits “rise dramatically over time” for fertility coverage.
Kate Ryder, founder and CEO of Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women and families, says the organization created its benefits administration product after hearing a frequent refrain from employers: “Even though IVF was more common than ever, they were still paying more for it in their claims. They weren’t crazy.”
Ryder says the price of IVF medications has increased by 84% over the last 10 years—sending 70% of IVF patients into debt.
“A comprehensive, holistic fertility benefit,” she says, “notches a double bottom-line impact, by reducing costs for employers and employees alike.”
Early adopters of women’s health benefits were mostly tech and financial services companies, largely in coastal and big cities, but smaller and midsize organizations are catching up: Last year, WIN recorded 200% growth in the number of clients with fewer than 100 employees that are offering clinical fertility advocacy and related discounted pharmacy benefits.
“The success of these initial fertility programs has driven these benefits to be much more universally accepted, almost a standard of care,” Shedlin says. “And it has led some CHROs to start thinking about, how do we continue to support this population through all stages of their life?”
The rise—and impact—of menopause benefits
That is leading some directly to menopause benefits.
“You cannot sever conception from pregnancy, or parenthood from midlife health,” says Ryder. “Most of our members will undergo all of these experiences in one lifetime, and the most effective benefits are built with the interconnectedness of these journeys at their core.”
Menopause is an issue undoubtedly impacting significant portions of every workforce: AARP estimates that about 90% of women over 35 have experienced menopausal symptoms—from sleep disruptions to hot flashes and brain fog—with about 57 million Americans navigating menopause or andropause, a testosterone deficiency impacting men.
According to the nonprofit Let’s Talk Menopause, research found that many in this population are facing these conditions on their own: Three-quarters of those who sought medical treatment for their symptoms continued to experience them, which the organization attributes to medical professionals being “ill-prepared.”
“A lot of the challenges in menopause treatment are related to misinformation and lack of access to appropriately trained specialists,” Shedlin says.
That’s why WIN PowerPause’s nurse care advocates connect patients to providers who specialize in menopause and andropause care. Offered through a virtual network, the program enables patients to be seen “pretty much whenever they like,” reducing stigma and disruptions to work.
On a recent HR Executive webinar, MaryAnne Hraba, regional vice president of sales at Maven Clinic, agreed that on-demand, virtual access to care is critical for a best-in-class menopause benefits program.
“Symptoms are so diverse, and local providers may feel untrained and unprepared,” she says.
Related: Watch the “Mission: Menopause” webinar.
Education and community should also be cornerstones, she says, such as through access to expert-reviewed content, virtual classes and webinars, alongside personalized care plans. Hraba notes she has personally used Maven’s care advocate to find an in-network OB-GYN specializing in menopause.
99% of women say menopause has hurt their careers
Whereas early menopause benefits programs centered around prescription coverage, those on the leading edge today need to be more comprehensive, she says—providing holistic care and support for all midlife health needs, for women and men—to mitigate the personal and professional impacts.
Menopause and andropause are already causing plenty of disruption: WIN estimates that one in five women consider leaving the workforce because of the impact of menopause, nearly 60% have taken time off because of their symptoms and an alarming 99% say menopause has negatively affected their careers.
Untreated menopause is also costing U.S. employers: to the tune of more than $26 billion, including $2 billion for lost productivity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“If appropriately managed, a menopause benefits program more than pays for itself,” Shedlin says, noting employers are “getting very wise” to the positive ROI of menopause benefits for productivity, recruitment and retention.
One such organization is MassMutual, a life insurance company that employs more than 11,000 people.
After considering the demographics of its workforce and insights from colleagues about their wellbeing needs, says Cynthia Ryan, head of HR at MassMutual, leadership dove into research about how the organization could help employees navigate different life stages.
MassMutual partnered with its healthcare providers, Ryan says, “to determine a new solution to better address the needs of our plan participants for menopause and mid-life support.” The new program includes access to clinical specialists, personalized planning and resources for managing symptoms of menopause.
“We just rolled this program out this year and we’re excited to have this additional support,” she says. “We’re seeing terrific engagement already.”
A growing need for women’s health benefits
Employees are increasingly looking for support in the form of enhanced women’s health benefits, particularly in the current political environment.
According to Maven’s State of Women’s and Family Health Benefits 2025 report, workers are anxious about the impact of politics on women’s healthcare access.
Based on surveys of more than 1,500 HR and benefits decision-makers and more than 3,700 employees, the research found that, of U.S. respondents who are starting or building a family, 47% say they are more concerned about their reproductive health since the 2024 presidential election. And workers want their employers to step up.
“When these already incredibly vulnerable life moments are put under a microscope,” says Ryder, “that stress trickles down to every moment. We believe the opportunity for employers to reduce costs while also showing up for their workforces has never been greater.”
More than half want their employer to advocate for women’s access to reproductive health services and to expand their current reproductive health benefits offerings. On the HR side, 48% of respondents say their organizations do intend to expand fertility coverage in light of the current landscape.
Impact of Roe v. Wade
It’s an environment that has grown increasingly complex in recent years, spurred by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade that relegated abortion to the state level, a move now supported by the federal administration.
“That complexity has created the need for more sophisticated management of [women’s health] benefits,” Shedlin says.
Such programs can have a “strong ROI,” but the key to achieving those outcomes, he says, is to align benefits design with high-quality care, offer incentives that will help patients achieve clinical goals and ensure equitable access. For instance, in the future, HR leaders may need to consider travel allowances for employees undergoing egg freezing or fertility procedures but who live in states with more restrictive reproductive rights laws.
“The ability to provide clinical advocacy on an individualized basis to every patient becomes a real factor in driving the success of these benefits,” Shedlin says. “Not all benefits design and administration structures are created equal—so, you have to look for the ones that are designed in a way that will yield the most measurable impact for clinical outcomes, patient experience and ROI.”
