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Getting Life Insurance While Pregnant

Researcher & Writer
April 03, 2020

Trying to find life insurance when you are pregnant can be daunting at times. In the following article we will help shed some light on the process involved as well as help you find the best life insurance quotes and rates when pregnant.

When you conceive a child, you automatically enter into a new phase of life; whether it’s your first child or your third, growing your family will change everything. It should also make you more aware of the importance of life insurance – after all, you want the best for your child(ren), and you want to make sure their provided for in the event that something tragic occurs.

Should I get life insurance while pregnant?

Whether or not to get life insurance coverage while pregnant is a very personal one. You should make this decision based on your own risk factors. Remember, ultimately life insurance is about those you will leave behind, and in this case, that is largely your children.

It’s kind of a catch-22 situation: if you don’t have any significant risk, then you may want to wait until the baby is 4-8 weeks old before applying for life insurance. However, if you are at risk – and life insurance would be important for the protection of your child(ren) – you may not be eligible.

How much will life insurance cost while pregnant?

If you decide to get a life insurance policy when you are pregnant, it may come at a premium, but not always. Life insurance companies will thoroughly assess what risk is attached with your current pregnancy and then they will decide whether or not to cover you, and if they should charge you an additional premium. Many of the things life insurance companies will likely look at include:

  • What trimester you are currently in. If you just recently became pregnant it might actually be easier to find coverage than if you are in your last trimester and only a few weeks out from actually giving birth.
  • Your other pregnancies and birthing experiences. If you have other children, your life insurance company is likely to ask for more information pertaining to earlier experiences. If you had any complications whatsoever, they will probably charge you a premium. If you had to have a c-section, you may also be charged a premium. In fact, depending on the severity of your previous situation, you may even be denied coverage or postponed.
  • Your current medical condition. Depending on how far along you are, you may already have complications that have arisen. This includes basic, normally non-threatening, conditions such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. Your current overall health will determine your eligibility for life insurance, and whether or not you will be charged a premium.
  • Other factors that may put you at higher risk of developing a medical condition. Life insurance companies take anything and everything into consideration when deciding on whether to cover a person. If you are carrying multiple babies, you are at a higher risk than someone carrying a single child. If you are over 40, then you may be at higher risk as well. All of these factors and many others will be considered by the life insurance company prior to coverage.

After assessing these risk factors a life insurance company will decide A) whether or not to cover you while still pregnant and B) if you should be charged an additional premium.

While childbirth is not as complicated as it used to be, there are still some risks attached with pregnancy and delivering a child. Life insurance companies are risk analysts; the companies determine the amount of risk attached to every decision and habit you have in life and determine whether or not you are eligible for life insurance – and whether or not they need to charge you an additional premium.

What if I get denied a life insurance policy while pregnant?

It is very possible that a life insurance company may choose not to cover you while still pregnant. This happens if they see you as too high of a risk. Don’t let this worry you; even if one life insurance company won’t cover you, it is very possible another may.

The best thing to do is to shop around. Every life insurance company has a different approach to covering pregnant women seeking life insurance. Try to find out as much information as you can about various life insurance companies and their coverage for women during pregnancy, and then decide accordingly.

Conclusion

If you can, it would be more beneficial to apply for life insurance after you have given birth. Your rates will likely increase while you are pregnant and decrease once you have given birth. 

To determine the best course of action, your best bet is to speak with a life insurance agent. They can help guide you through the process.

Written by
TermLife2Go
We are a team of life insurance experts with the simple mission of helping you find the best coverage for your unique situation. We research, review, and rank life insurance companies to make that process easier.