Understanding women’s health
We are focused on the unique physical, mental and emotional well-being of women, encompassing a wide range of issues such as reproductive health, hormonal health and treatment of conditions that affect women throughout their lives.
What is women’s health and why does it matter?
Understanding women’s health and working to solve widespread women’s health challenges—especially reproductive health challenges—is vital to promoting healthy families and communities.
Women’s health refers to the broad category of health issues that are unique to women, including:1
Reproductive health (such as cervical and ovarian cancer, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome)
Prenatal, pregnancy and postpartum
Disparities in women’s health
Health outcomes among women can vary widely based on factors such as race, socioeconomic status and geographic location.
For example, statistics show that Black women have over double maternal mortality rates than any other race in the U.S.2
Researching solutions to promote women’s health equity has never been more important to save the lives of women and children across the country.
Maternal mortality rate by race in the U.S. in 2022 (per 100,000 live births)2
View maternal mortality rate chart as table
View maternal mortality rate chart as table
| Demographic | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Black | 49.5% |
| White | 19% |
| Hispanic | 16.9% |
| Asian | 13.2% |
The U.S. has the highest maternal death rate among high-income countries.3
Women face challenges that can impact their ability to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Learn more about health equity and what Evernorth is doing to make the health care system work better for everyone.
Prenatal care is important
Receiving the right prenatal care at the right time can dramatically improve a woman’s chance of experiencing a healthy pregnancy and successful delivery.
This also creates opportunities for the mother to discuss any concerns she has along the way, opening the door to better communication and trust with her provider.
Within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a provider can help identify and manage pre-existing conditions that may pose a risk to the pregnancy early on.4
Regular visits throughout the remainder of the pregnancy allow for necessary physical exams, blood pressure checks, imaging and ultrasounds that are essential to monitoring the baby’s health and development.
Challenges in maternal health care
Some significant challenges currently stand between expecting mothers and positive health outcomes, both during and after pregnancy.5
Lack of communication
and trust between patients and providers
Limited access to prenatal care
with disparities related to race and geographic location
Untreated mental health challenges
among those experiencing postpartum anxiety and depression
Learn more about the importance of women’s reproductive health care and benefits in our recent Women’s Health Report
Sources
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), “Women’s Health.” 2023.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States.” May 2024.
The Commonwealth Fund, “Health and Health Care for Women of Reproductive Age.” 2022.
Yale Medicine, “Maternal Mortality Is on the Rise: 8 Things To Know.” 2023.
The Cigna Group, Health Equity Whitepaper, 2024.
CDC Newsroom, Four in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, 2022.
PBS News, It’s time to recognize the damage of childbirth, doctors and mothers say, 2021.