Employer health strategies have evolved far beyond medical, dental, and vision. Benefits leaders are now addressing whole-person health, including mental well-being and musculoskeletal care. Increasingly, HR leaders are exploring how to build holistic women’s health programs to attract and retain top female talent. Until recently, pelvic health was rarely part of the conversation. Millions of women managed symptoms silently, relying on pads, medications, or simply adapting their lifestyles to discomfort. The costs were hidden but substantial: missed workdays, higher medical claims, and reduced productivity.¹ Now, data and demand are driving change. Employers are recognizing that pelvic health is not just a personal issue but a workplace concern with measurable business implications. Pelvic floor disorders affect one in three women in the United States,² and nearly half of postmenopausal women.³ Symptoms range from leakage and chronic pain to bowel dysfunction and prolapse. These conditions affect not only personal health but also women’s ability to perform and progress at work.

For many years, employer health benefits defined “women’s health” narrowly, focusing mainly on maternity and family-building. Today, that definition is expanding rapidly, and rightly so. Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and their health needs span far beyond pregnancy. From menstrual health and menopause to musculoskeletal pain, mental well-being, and pelvic health, these issues directly influence productivity, engagement, and retention. Yet too often, they go unaddressed in benefit designs. When women’s health is not supported, the consequences ripple across organizations. Pain, fatigue, and untreated symptoms lead to absenteeism, presenteeism, and lower participation in preventive care. The costs are significant, both human and financial. In contrast, companies that invest in comprehensive women’s health benefits consistently see higher retention, improved satisfaction, and measurable ROI. This checklist offers a step-by-step framework for HR and benefits leaders to evaluate and build a modern women’s health benefits strategy. It combines the latest evidence, clinical insights, and digital innovations, showing how employers can deliver care that is equitable, effective, and empowering.

Pelvic health has long been ignored by medicine. Conditions like incontinence, pelvic pain, and bowel dysfunction are often dismissed—leaving millions of women untreated. Sword Health’s digital pelvic health solution, Bloom, is changing that. Backed by a third-party validated claims analysis, this white paper reveals how Bloom delivers both financial impact and life-changing outcomes. 1 in 3 women in the U.S. suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction—but it takes an average of 6.5 years to seek care. The result: lost productivity, mental health decline, and costly surgeries averaging nearly $30,000.