Sun Life Report Signals Emerging Health Challenges Impacting Younger Canadian Women

Sun Life Report Signals Emerging Health Challenges Impacting Younger Canadian Women

Unique women's health complexities demanding greater awareness, understanding and holistic solutions in the workplace

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Sun Life's Focus on Women's Health report, part of the Designed for Health series, uncovers new trends in the health of Canadian women, with implications for workplaces. The findings highlight the unique and increasingly complex health challenges women are facing earlier in life.

Sun Life's comprehensive report analyzes health claims data from over 3 million plan members and 20,000 employers, revealing urgent and emerging trends in women's health across Canada:

• Cancer rates among women under 50 are now twice as high as men in the same age group.
• Migraine drug claims are 4-5 times higher for women than for men.
• Women's claims for diabetes drugs are growing 40 per cent faster than men's.

"These findings remind us that behind every statistic are real women navigating demanding lives and complex health needs," said Marie-Chantal Côté, Senior Vice-President, Sun Life Health. "By raising awareness and making small but meaningful changes, workplaces can be powerful allies and make a real difference – helping women thrive through every stage of their health journey."

Cancer diagnoses surging in young women
Cancer continues to remain one of our greatest health challenges and the gap between men and women's cancer rates has increased over the past couple decades. Most strikingly, breast cancer cases in women have increased over the past 30 years, outpacing all other age groups. Women's cancer claims account for a higher proportion of long-term disability claims compared with men's. The data illustrates the importance of understanding how to support employees in their treatment and recovery, both physically and mentally.

Migraine: A hidden workplace crisis
Incidence of migraine have been rising globally, with a corresponding rise in migraine drug claims. Women are three times more likely to suffer than men and Sun Life's drug claim data shows women aged 40–59 (perimenopausal and postmenopausal) have the highest rates of migraine medication claims.

Chronic disease on the rise – especially for young women 
More young Canadians are developing life altering chronic conditions, including diabetes and data shows that women may be impacted more than men. Women's claims for diabetes drugs are growing 40 per cent faster than men's. Notably, drug claims for diabetes and high blood pressure among women under 30 have begun to outpace those of young men, signaling a new wave of chronic illness in younger women.  

Additionally, issues such as mental health, menopause, caregiving, and extreme weather events still affect women disproportionately, with these trends intensifying and occurring at earlier ages. Mental health continues to play a critical role and is integrated across many of women's unique health challenges. Women also continue to bear a bigger burden when it comes to mental health disorders, with 45 per cent of women's disability claims reported as being related to mental health (vs. 33 per cent for men).  

Supports to help women thrive

The report also sheds light on the growing importance of better understanding changing workplace health trends to help enable organizations to provide the right supports. It emphasizes the opportunity for employers to raise awareness and tailor benefits to help support women's health and resilience, including:

• Lumino Virtual Care, provided by Dialogue, gives access to supports including early cancer screening by way of receiving referrals for cervical cancer screenings, mammograms and other age-related health screenings.
• Migraine management including coverage for various types of treatment including prescriptions, therapies (massage, acupuncture) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
• Chronic disease coaching available through Online Pharmacy, by Pillway, provides personalized support to help manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a resource to help employees and their families build health resilience and provide support for a broad range of issues.
• Menopause-inclusive workplace policies and toolkits  to raise awareness around how employers can better support women's health in the workplace.

To learn more about the emerging trends in women's health and its impact on Canadian workplaces, read the full report here.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.62 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

To contact Sun Life media relations, please email media.relations@sunlife.com. 

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.