Preliminary Findings from the Gulf War Women’s Cohort: Reproductive and Children’s Health Outcomes among Women Veterans

Alexa Friedman, Patricia A. Janulewicz Lloyd, Jeffrey Carlson, Emily Quinn, Dylan Keating, Rosemary Toomey, Timothy Heeren, Steven S. Coughlin, Glenn Markenson, Maxine Krengel and Kimberly Sullivan
Additional contact information
Alexa Friedman: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Patricia A. Janulewicz Lloyd: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Jeffrey Carlson: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Emily Quinn: Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Dylan Keating: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Rosemary Toomey: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Timothy Heeren: Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Steven S. Coughlin: Department of Population Health Sciences, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
Glenn Markenson: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Maxine Krengel: Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Kimberly Sullivan: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: Reproductive outcomes, such as preterm birth, miscarriage/stillbirth, and pre-eclampsia, are understudied in veterans, particularly among Gulf War veterans (GWVs). During deployment, women GWVs were exposed to toxicant and nontoxicant exposures that may be associated with adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes. The data come from a survey of 239 participants from northeastern and southern U.S. cohorts of women veterans. The questionnaire collected information about the service history, current and past general health, reproductive and family health, demographic information, and deployment exposures. Odds ratios were computed with 95% confidence intervals between exposures in theater and reproductive/children’s health outcomes. GWVs experienced adverse reproductive outcomes: 25% had difficulty conceiving, and 31% had a pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage or stillbirth. Pregnancy complications were common among GWVs: 23% had a high-risk pregnancy, and 16% were diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. About a third of GWVs reported their children (38%) had a developmental disorder. Use of pesticide cream during deployment was associated with higher odds of all reproductive and developmental outcomes. The results demonstrate that GWVs experienced reproductive and children’s health outcomes at potentially high rates, and exploratory analyses suggest pesticide exposure as associated with higher odds of adverse reproductive outcomes. Future longitudinal studies of women veterans should prioritize examining reproductive and children’s health outcomes.

Keywords: Gulf War; veterans; women; reproductive health; children’s health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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