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. In response to a growing need to understand the effects of military service on health status, this report supplements our prior review by focusing directly on the reproductive and trauma effects on women in the military or Veterans who have been deployed. The goal is to broaden the knowledge of VA policy leaders and clinicians about post-deployment health issues for women. The Key Questions were: Key Question #1: What research has been published on the effects of deployment on postdeployment reproductive outcomes? We operationalized “reproductive effects” to encompass the following: fertility issues, birth defects, menstrual effects (e.g., change in cycles, loss of cycles), urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, and reproductive cancers (e.g., cervical, ovarian, etc). Key Question #2: What research has been published on post-trauma sequelae in OEF/OIF women Veterans, including: mental health problems, suicide, cardiovascular disease, risky health behaviors (including: tobacco use, hazardous alcohol use, substance abuse, suicide, homicide, assaultive behavior, and eating disorders), and other post-trauma sequelae?

Women who fight in wars also have to fight for their right to do so. But what are the obstacles impeding their progress in achieving equal status as both active service members and as veterans? This book, written by a team of female veterans and military scholars, demonstrates the ways in which women service members and veterans experience a unique set of challenges when attempting to both honorably serve their country and reintegrate into civilian society following military service. These challenges include – but are not limited to – discrimination, staggering rates of suicide, and barriers to obtaining treatment for military sexual trauma and other critical benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Women Veterans: Lifting the Veil of Invisibility examines current service-related policies and gender in the military’s hierarchical power structure. Here, a confluence of white male privilege and entitlement, the culture of domination, and the effeminization of the enemy manifest themselves as a backlash against women, calling into question a woman’s agency and her very status as a citizen. Special attention in the book is paid to the civil-military divide, representative bureaucracy, and the function of the military and civilian justice systems. Moreover, the need for appropriate healthcare policies and structures is examined within a ‘wicked problems’ framework. The authors conclude that the responsibility for women veterans, and all veterans for that matter, must become a matter of compelling government interest. This ground-breaking book is required reading for practitioners of public policy and administration with an interest in military and veterans affairs, public health, NGOs and activist groups, as well as scholars of gender and public service, public personnel management, and nonprofit management.

Women at War reviews the epidemiology, changes in policy and demographics of women in the services, the factors affecting their health and health care while serving in austere environments, issues related to reproductive and urogenital health and how health care providers can help prepare and prevent illness. The book also looks at mental health issues to include PTSD and other psychological effects of war, intimate partner violence, sexual assault and suicide, as well as the veteran experience.

Using data compiled from longitudinal studies of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans, contributors to this groundbreaking book examine the effects of military service across the lifespan. The US spends over 100 billion dollars annually on healthcare for more than 30 million active military and veterans. The prevalence of negative trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military veterans is well-known. But other more subtle effects of military service--particularly on health and well-being in later life--are less well-understood, among researchers as well as medical and mental health professionals who care for veterans. Chapters in this book give us crucial insights into the impact of military service, including the surprising finding that service can serve as a protective factor in some contexts, throughout the aging process. Topic areas include the effects of combat and stress on longevity and brain functioning; the use of memory, cognition, and ego development at various points in life; the relationship between experiences of discrimination and the later development of PTSD; marriage longevity; employment; and the way notions of patriotism and nationalism among service personnel and their families may change over time.

Nearly 1.9 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. Many service members and veterans face serious challenges in readjusting to normal life after returning home. This initial book presents findings on the most critical challenges, and lays out the blueprint for the second phase of the study to determine how best to meet the needs of returning troops and their families.