Carrot Fertility supports aging workers with menopause and low testosterone benefits

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Supporting your employees’ reproductive health means employers have to address some topics that were once considered taboo.

Menopause and low testosterone impact millions of men and women, yet support is often hard to find. Approximately 40% of men 45 and older experience low testosterone, according to The National Library of Medicine, and an estimated 1.3 million women in the U.S. alone enter menopause each year. To support this population, Carrot Fertility launched a new line of clinically-validated fertility benefits for employees going through both menopause and issues with low testosterone.

“The topic of menopause, low T and aging in particular is still highly stigmatized,” says Tammy Sun, CEO and co-founder of Carrot Fertility. “We believe that fertility care and fertility healthcare is lifelong.”

Read More: Employers looking to expand women’s health coverage can’t forget menopause

With the new benefit rollout, Carrot customers will have access to providers through a specialized network, clinically supervised education and intimate group support for both menopause and low testosterone. The benefits can be added to the existing fertility package, according to a press release.

Without additional help, the symptoms of menopause present women with challenges at work — such as irritability, hot flashes and weight gain — resulting in approximately 20% of women between the ages of 45 and 67 considering leaving the workforce altogether, according to a study commissioned by the childcare service Koru Kids. And low testosterone levels in both men and women can negatively impact fertility in both and should be considered when building fertility treatment benefits.

There is no outright solution to infertility at any age, according to Sun. Providing full-spectrum fertility care needs to go beyond just family planning — and adding a more personalized care solution can yield results, too.

Read More: Menopause is the next taboo topic to tackle at work

“Our mission from day one has always been [to provide] inclusive access to fertility benefits, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, marital status or geography,” Sun says. “We’ve come a long way, thanks in no small part to the work that employers are doing to be much more inclusive.”

While menopause and low testosterone conditions are most common for people between the ages of 42 and 65, they can also impact younger people — meaning it should play a critical part in all employees’ benefit offerings.

“Bringing menopause and low testosterone to the table with the other aspects of fertility — it is way past time to do that,” she says. “It is an integral part of fertility healthcare, and it's something every single human being, if you are lucky enough to be gifted with time, will go through.”

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