Health Effects of Military Service on Women Veterans

Summary

Branch: Executive

Category: Executive Agency Publications

SuDoc Class Number: VA 1.107/3:W 84/2

Government Author: Veterans Affairs Department

Personal Author: Shekelle, Paul G.

Publication Title: Health Effects of Military Service on Women Veterans

Date Issued: 2011

Subject: Medical care
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Reproductive health
Women veterans
United States

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Abstract: Women Veterans are among the fastest growing groups of new VA health care users of the VA healthcare system, and currently reflect approximately eight percent of all U.S. Veterans. With Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), women comprise a larger percentage of the military (11.3 percent) than of prior military operations. As of fiscal year 2010, 51.3 percent of female OEF/OIF Veterans had enrolled in VA health care, in sharp contrast to women from previous eras (an estimated 11 percent). Of this group, 88 percent have used VA health care more than once. To better understand the needs of this rapidly growing group, women Veterans' health research has expanded as well. Two previous systematic reviews examined the literature on women Veterans' health and health care up to 2008. In this review, we specifically explored women Veterans' post-deployment health, with two main areas of concentration: 1) post-deployment effects on reproductive health for women Veterans, and 2) post-trauma sequelae among women Veterans from the OEF/OIF cohort. The published literature on deployment and post-deployment health was included in the two previous systematic literature reviews. Most of the extant literature focused on the population of Veterans from OEF/OIF. The previous review also examined the reproductive health literature among military women and women Veterans. However, the previous reviews assessed the literature up through 2008, while the current review further updates these topics by examining them in more detail and extending the literature search through 2010.