Removing the barriers to family building and hormonal health

Globally mobile customers may experience unique challenges while living abroad, especially those in need of fertility and family building support. It can be difficult to navigate unfamiliar health care systems while dealing with hormonal health issues, and employers must ask how they can make their employees feel supported and ensure they have access to the right care at the right time.

What is family building? 

Family building refers to the idea that there are different paths to parenthood that people can choose to expand their family beyond heterosexual conception¹. This includes options like assisted reproductive technologies or adoption, unlike family planning which is typically focused on pregnancy prevention.

The wide-ranging impact of family building and fertility care is much broader than employers may realise (for example, time-sensitive appointments, clinic travel, medication side-effects, and impact on mental wellbeing), and investing in health benefits creates a key support system for globally mobile employees.

 

What about hormonal health? 

Hormonal health affects many employees, even if some may assume only a few deal with it in the workplace, and getting assistance with things like low testosterone and menopause is a real concern for employees.

In a UK-based study, 45% of women felt that menopausal symptoms negatively impacted their work and 47% who needed to take a day off due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell employers the real reason².

On the reverse side, low testosterone is also an issue that heavily impacts the workplace. Research has shown that 20% of people between the ages of 15-39 have a testosterone deficiency³. Common symptoms like fatigue, low energy, insomnia, and depressed mood³ can contribute to difficulty in daily work routines.

 

Creating change through collaboration 

Changes in demographics and health conditions are creating a shift in how employers have previously thought about their employee’s fertility and hormonal health. Families are starting later, with 30 years old being the average age of childbirth worldwide⁴ and roughly 17.5% of the adult population are affected by infertility⁵.

Cigna Healthcare®, Global Health Benefits is proud to offer new solutions to customers through Carrot, the leading global fertility, hormonal health, and family-building benefits provider, to support family-building and hormonal needs. We pride ourselves on putting people first, and this collaboration shows we’re committed to addressing the real-life issues our customers face while working abroad by providing education and guidance on fertility and hormonal health.

Introducing Carrot

How employers can lead the charge for lifelong fertility health care

 

What does Carrot offer?

Robust, personalised support for members along all stages of life

Carrot provides inclusive support for all fertility, family-building and hormonal health care journeys with plans personalised to employee needs and medical history. Carrot also helps educate members about their health through articles, videos, guides and group sessions, alongside in-the-moment guidance from experts such as doulas, OB/GYNs and emotional support and menopause specialists. With assistance available worldwide at over 11,000 vetted providers⁷, members can feel secure knowing they’re being cared for by a custom network of high-quality experts.

 

John and Ana’s family building journey

How Cigna Healthcare, Global Health Benefits and Carrot help families grow

We’ve included a case study based on actual customer experiences for a closer look into how these services could support your employees.

John is a valued member of Cigna Healthcare and a Japanese citizen working abroad in the UK. John finds out about Carrot’s benefits and registers for the programme as he and his partner are looking to start a family. Carrot connects them with a Japanese-speaking fertility expert and John shares that he’s been diagnosed with low sperm motility, a condition that can greatly affect pregnancy chances.

After this talk, the Carrot Care Team locates a quality in-network provider nearby specialising in male factor infertility. John and Ana receive a wealth of helpful resources like digital support guides, education and specialists that speak John’s native language.

The couple are also able to schedule a virtual chat with an emotional support expert to help manage stress. Through this collaboration with Cigna Healthcare and Carrot, John and Ana were able to get the care, guidance, education and support they needed.

 

Build brighter futures 

Providing for globally mobile employees and their future is key to building business and continuing to expand worldwide revenue streams. We’re proud to bring a valued source of guidance, education and support to our clients and customers all across the globe, and to showcase the importance of investing in quality health care and well-being for all. Join Cigna Healthcare and Carrot today as we help to create a healthier future for all employers and customers.

 

1. FertilitySmarts, What is family building? https://fertilitysmarts.com/definition/family-building/. Last updated 2023.
2. NHSInform. Menopause and the workplace. https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/womens-health/later-years-around-50-years-and-over/menopause-and-post-menopause-health/menopause-and-the-workplace/. Last updated March 2025
3. Carrot Fertility. What is low testosterone? https://www.get-carrot.com/blog/what-is-low-testosterone. Published November 2022.
4. OECD Family Database. SF2.3: Age of mothers at childbirth and age-specific fertility. https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/SF_2_3_Age_mothers_childbirth.pdf. Last updated July 2023
5. World Health Organisation. 1 in 6 people globally affected by infertility: WHO. https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2023-1-in-6-people-globally-affected-by-infertility. Published April 4, 2023
6. Carrot services available may vary by geography and local rules and regulations. While Carrot’s services are at no additional cost, any out-of-pocket costs for medical services will depend on your plan’s covered benefits.
7. Statistics based on Carrot Outcomes Internal Study, Carrot internal product data, and Carrot member surveys from 2024. Subject to change.