One in five women suffers from PCOS, a leading cause of infertility

Bengaluru: As per World Bank data, since the COVID-19 outbreak, female employment in India has dropped down by 9 per cent in 2022. Of the multiple reasons, an alarming concern is stress among working women. As the stress of work increases, its impact on women's sexual health goes remarkably high, with disorders like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, etc. leading to infertility among working women. This makes the need for structural change urgent.

As per the recent Union Budget statistics, women's employability is at 51.44 per cent. While corporates are adopting multiple measures to nurture and encourage female employment with an increase in maternity coverage, menstrual leave, etc., employee health insurance platform Plum urges corporates to include In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) coverage under their group health insurance policies.

Plum has released a report around, "The Reproductive and Sexual Health of Working Women", urging companies to pay attention to unspoken aspects of women's health. The reports states that 52 per cent of women surveyed say they struggle to manage health with work. And 20 per cent, or one in five women in India, have PCOS. It is a leading cause of infertility in women and accounts for 80 per cent of ovulatory infertility cases. IVF treatment is expensive across the country and unfortunately not covered under corporates' group insurance policy, further building stress and discomfort among women in the workforce.

The CEO and Co- Founder, Plum, Abhishek Poddar says, "It has been our constant endeavour to drive 'inclusion in insurance' with maternity benefits, LGBTQ coverage, parental coverage, holistic healthcare consultations, etc. For the longest time, infertility did not come under the purview of insurance. This makes the need for structural change urgent. It is now time for women's sexual health to receive the attention it deserves. As companies embark on this endeavour, it is important to remember that this change will require full commitment. At Plum, we have incorporated covers like infertility and surrogacy as well. "

Nearly 2 per cent of Plum's clients, companies like Meesho, Darwinbox and Epifi, have already incorporated IVF coverage under their group policy. Renowned brands like Google and Flipkart too have incorporated IVF coverage into their health policies.

The Director, Plum, Kriti Rastogi said, "Today, an IVF treatment costs around Rs. 1.5 lakhs, laparoscopy around Rs. 75,000, and a hysterectomy costs anywhere from Rs 1.32 lakh to Rs. 2.75 lakh. However, most companies in India do not cover these treatments under their Group Health Insurance (GHIs). Companies should look at an ideal cover with no restrictions on any procedures, no exclusion of treatments. Under a comprehensive policy, no treatment, even if considered elective, will be rejected."

Over the last year, Plum has been working on making insurance more inclusive. It is urging its insurance partners to redefine the insurance structure, besides counseling its clients to make their group health insurance policies more inclusive-with coverage for LGBTQ, no-capping on maternity benefits, parental coverage, holistic healthcare consultation, etc. Plum strongly advocates a higher benchmark for PCOS and infertility benefits in group health insurance. The company also aims to accelerate the pace of health insurance adoption in India and encourage all businesses to think about their employees' health first.