Pregnancy Insurance Questions & Answers

How do life insurance underwriters view women who are pregnant?

Obtaining life insurance for pregnant women is generally not an issue for underwriters during a normal healthy pregnancy. Most insurers will underwrite a healthy pregnant woman in the same manner as if she were not pregnant.

Not all pregnancies are normal as a variety of factors and health issues can significantly affect the health risk. Changes which can be detrimental to the health of a woman will also increase the risk for a life insurer underwriter who may alter the rating to reflect the increased risk. And, some health conditions may result in an automatic decline by some insurers.

Other issues that can influence the life insurance rating which an underwriter may also consider include the age and general health of the woman at the time of pregnancy. These factors will be considered in the risk assessment along with how well she is responding to treatment, along with the prognosis of the health issue.

In situations where a pregnant woman has been declined a policy, she might be better off to wait for an appropriate period of time such as 6 months for example, until her health issues have resolved following her delivery and then reapply

What are the health risks for a pregnant woman?

The health risk for a pregnant woman can vary. Some women who become pregnant may have pre-existing health issues which can be exacerbated and made worst because of the pregnancy. Some medical complications can directly impact the woman, her child or both.

The most common health risks which occur during pregnancy include the onset of anemia (reduction in the number of red blood cells), a variety of urinary tract infections, or other types of infections.

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Hypertension or elevated blood pressure can not affect the health risk to a variety of organs, but can also result in a condition known as Preeclampsia which is a placental abruption.

Some women experience excessive weight gain which also adds more physical stress and lead to an increase in health complications. About 4% of women who become pregnant develop gestational diabetes. Others may suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum which is similar to an extreme form of persistent morning sickness.

Finding life Insurance for Pregnant Women

Finding life insurance for pregnant women is generally not an issue during a normal healthy pregnancy. However, as the risk increases due to pregnancy health related complications, the manner is how she is assessed by different insurers can vary significantly and affect how she is rated for a policy.

If the process of obtaining life insurance can be delayed until after the delivery, and a period of time has elapsed to allow her to recover from these health related pregnancy issues, the woman would very likely qualify for a better rated policy and lower premium.

In cases where the issue of obtaining life insurance is considered vital, and there are health related issues during pregnancy, she might seek an insurer who would have some policy mechanism in place that will readjust her rating through another exam or medical information that informs them when the health issues have resolved.