When planning a family it is wise to consider taking out a life insurance policy before falling pregnant as insurance companies are reluctant about issuing life cover for a woman who is already pregnant, due to all the possible complications that could occur.
At Pinnacle Life, we generally learn about pregnant woman applicants in the question “are you seeking medical advice”. In order to ascertain the stage of pregnancy the applicant is sent to underwriting.
Our policy is to defer cover if the application is made after the second trimester (end of week 26). We defer until two months after child birth…
Why you may ask?
- High blood pressure is a common complaint of pregnancy and can lead to hypertension and even toxaemia.
- Once in your third trimester, it is very difficult to get life insurance as pre-existing medical conditions can advance rapidly during pregnancy and conditions not already picked up will become more dominant and detectable.
- There is the risk of post natal depression immediately after the birth
An added problem to trying to secure life insurance for women is that we are now seeing a new generation of higher risk pregnancies being made available by the advancements in medical technology - not always a good thing. Pregnancy is increasingly possible in older women with IVF treatment. They are also more at risk from the complications of higher blood pressure. This treatment itself carries a high risk of multiple births, again putting a strain on the woman's health.
Take out a life insurance policy before getting pregnant wherever possible. After the event, always be upfront in declaring your medical history
