Life insurance options with endometriosis
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Life insurance with endometriosis in New Zealand depends on which cover you mean. Life cover pays when the person insured dies; trauma and income protection pay while you are alive. On cover with health questions an insurer may ask about endometriosis. Momentum's Quick Life asks nothing, but for 2 years it does not pay a death related to a condition or symptoms from the 2 years before the policy.
Endometriosis is a common condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus also grows outside it, such as on the ovaries or bowel. Healthify NZ says it affects up to 1 in 10 women and teenage girls, that pelvic pain is the most common symptom, and that it can be very difficult to diagnose, with laparoscopy surgery the only sure way (Healthify). Two features of that description matter for insurance. The condition is chronic, so an insurer will want to know about it. And the path to a diagnosis can be slow, which affects how the 2-year rule works. Both are covered below.
We found no New Zealand insurer that publishes how it rates endometriosis, so this page does not predict an outcome. Anything that says it "usually" or "almost always" gets standard terms would be a guess.
What each cover pays on
People searching for endometriosis cover often mean a different product from the one they end up reading about. These definitions come from Fidelity Life's underwriting guide (Fidelity Life: underwriting guide) and IFSO (IFSO: Life insurance).
| Cover | What triggers a payment | Is an endometriosis diagnosis itself the trigger? | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life cover | Death of the person insured | No | How the insurer treats the condition when you apply, and whether any exclusion is added |
| Trauma cover | A defined serious illness or condition on the policy's list | Only if the policy lists it | Read the list of covered conditions and the exclusions |
| Income protection | Being unable to work, paid monthly towards replacement income | No, inability to work is the trigger | Whether your condition could be excluded or limited, and how "unable to work" is defined |
Trauma cover pays for specified conditions only. The policy lists them, and IFSO says declined claims due to exclusions are a common complaint. Whether a given policy covers surgery or a complication related to endometriosis is a matter of reading its wording, and we have not read one that says. An adviser can put the question to insurers for you.
The diagnosis delay and the 2-year rule
Quick Life's wording defines a pre-existing medical condition as any illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before the policy started, including anything you had treatment or advice for, and symptoms you noticed "even if undiagnosed" (Momentum Life: Quick Life policy wording, November 2025). For the first 2 years of cover, a death or terminal illness diagnosis "directly or indirectly related" to a pre-existing condition, or to suicide or intentional self-harm, is not paid. Premiums are refunded when death comes from a pre-existing condition and no claim is payable.
For endometriosis, the "even if undiagnosed" phrase is the one to take seriously. Because the condition can be hard to diagnose, someone may have had pelvic pain for some time before a name was put on it. If a later diagnosis connects to symptoms in the 2 years before the policy, Momentum could treat them as pre-existing. So a person with no diagnosis yet may still be affected. The definition covers any "illness, condition, or symptoms" you had in the 2 years before the policy, so a chronic condition diagnosed earlier may count if you had symptoms, treatment or advice in that window. The wording does not spell out how a past diagnosis with no recent symptoms is treated, and Momentum decides at claim time, so ask Momentum or an adviser before you rely on any view.
An illustration with invented, round numbers: a 35-year-old takes out Quick Life and has been seeing a doctor for pelvic pain. In month 8 she dies from a complication Momentum decides is related to that pain. No benefit is paid and the premiums are refunded. If an accident causes death in month 8, the benefit is paid. After month 24, a related death is covered unless the policy schedule lists a permanent exclusion for that condition. The wording says a few conditions can be excluded permanently, but it does not list them, so ask what your schedule will say.
Cover with health questions
When an insurer asks health questions, it can accept on standard terms, add a loading, exclude the condition, postpone or decline. Asteron Life says an existing condition may be handled by adding a stand-down period, raising the premium, or excluding the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron Life). Facts an underwriter may ask for include:
- the date of diagnosis, and how it was made, including any laparoscopy;
- surgeries, and the dates;
- current medication and pain management;
- other conditions you have been diagnosed with;
- time off work because of the condition.
Answer completely. IFSO publishes cases where an insurer avoided a policy or reduced a claim because information was left out (IFSO). A licensed adviser can approach several insurers with your records and show you the terms each offers. See guaranteed acceptance versus full medical cover for how the two routes compare, and insurance non-disclosure for the risks of leaving things out.
Funeral Insurance
Funeral Insurance, the second Momentum product, is for ages 40 to 75 and pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. Unlike Quick Life it has no pre-existing-condition clause, so an endometriosis history is not the issue. The restriction is time: for the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, and for any other death it pays nothing and refunds all premiums for that person. After 24 months it pays for death from any cause. Premiums are fixed each year until the 89th birthday. Total premiums can exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. See what funeral insurance is.
Choosing between them
| Cover with health questions | Quick Life | Funeral Insurance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages | Set by each insurer | 18 to 65 | 40 to 75 |
| Endometriosis asked about | Possibly, if the form asks | No | No |
| Early restriction | Per the terms offered | 2 years: related deaths and suicide not paid, premiums refunded | 24 months: accidental death only |
| Amount | Higher amounts possible | $50,000 to $300,000 to start | $3,000 to $30,000 |
About Momentum Life
On the company behind the cover: A.M. Best rates Momentum Life Limited B (Fair), affirmed on 11 February 2026, and Momentum's own scale places B in its "Vulnerable" range. The rating is not a recommendation; the detail is on Momentum's financial strength page. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link (how we are paid).
The buttons on this page open Momentum's online application for Quick Life or Funeral Insurance. Read the wording first, and see our pre-existing conditions guide and the two-year exclusion page. Back to the guaranteed acceptance hub. This is general information, not advice.
Adviser's view
An insurer may ask about endometriosis on cover with health questions, and we found no NZ insurer that publishes how it rates it. Quick Life asks nothing but treats symptoms from the 2 years before the policy, diagnosed or not, as pre-existing. Know which cover you are asking about, since life, trauma and income cover are judged differently, and get an adviser's view before choosing.
Compare life cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance With Endometriosis NZ. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-with-endometriosis-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- Healthify: Endometriosis
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025)
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023)
- Momentum Life: Financial strength
- Fidelity Life: Underwriting guide (October 2025)
- IFSO: Life insurance
- IFSO: Non-disclosure policy criteria not met (10 July 2025)
- Asteron Life: Insurance options for pre-existing conditions
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Guides.