Offering equitable healthcare access increasingly means supporting employees at every stage of their reproductive health.
To make that possible,
"This is a part of women's health that's very undeserved," says Kate Ryder, founder and CEO of Maven. "There's just been so many different priorities and competing needs [in healthcare], that although people knew it was important, they weren't ready to prioritize it yet."
Read more:
However, employers are increasingly embracing menopause benefits and care, as one in five members of the workforce are impacted by menopause and menopause-related productivity losses, according to SHRM. A July survey by Maven found that 50% of employers agreed that menopause support is now a priority in order to stay competitive.
"Once some of our biggest clients started asking about it, a lot of other employers followed suit," Ryder says. "This is a great time to update our product and launch a menopause program in the workplace."
Maven already offers a number of menopause-related benefits, such as hormone management and physical therapy. The new Menopause and Ongoing Care program offers more specialized care and solutions for more complex or urgent needs. Employees enrolled in their program will have access to virtual consults and in more extreme cases, providers can connect them with experts and OBGYNs in the field.
Read more:
Ryder says the recent focus on menopause highlights a new trend of addressing more taboo or
"Yet another part of women's health that was underserved is coming out from the shadows and being de-stigmatized," Ryder says. "People are able to get the support they need."