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A new study revealed that female veterans of the Gulf War are three times more likely to enter menopause before age 45– a finding that adds to growing concerns about long-term health consequences tied to toxic exposures and trauma during deployment. It was indicated that factors such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), environmental exposures, and Gulf War Illness (GWI) factored into this epidemic.
Funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Health Outcomes Military Exposures (HOME) program, this study sampled a cohort of 688 women. Of those women, 63% reported exposure to hazardous chemicals from the burning of oil wells and other waste. 26% reported experiencing MST during their deployments. 57% met the criteria for GWI. Researchers affiliated with this study declined to comment. Early menopause has many negative consequences including osteoporosis, premature loss of fertility, heart problems, dementia, and early death.
Those who served in the Gulf War were at risk of exposure to multiple toxic materials including sarin, pesticides, and burning oil, uranium. Additionally, there is a possibility that Pyridostigmine Bromide, an anti-nerve agent pill may be correlated with GWI.
One retired Army captain, Christi Listermann, recalls being concerned about breathing in fumes from burn pits and dust and chemicals from sandstorms: “I remember thinking at the time, this can’t be good for us, breathing all this stuff ”. However, one does not have the luxury to contemplate long-term health implications during a combat deployment.
Though PTSD was included in the study, reproductive epidemiology expert, Leslie Farland, believes that mood disorders such as anxiety and depression should have been factored in as well. “While there are some limitations, such as having limited statistical power to investigate some of their exposures, the study is very well executed.” However, she also pointed out that , it lacked detailed data on PTSD diagnoses and specific toxic exposures, limiting researchers’ ability to isolate precise causes.
Military service, especially deployments to combat zones puts servicemembers at risk for a multitude of long-term health consequences. From Vietnam to Iraq, it is becoming clear that PTSD and exposure to toxic chemicals can manifest in physical symptoms. Retired LtCol Gillian Boice states, “Everybody knows, when you go into the military service, you’re signing up to give your life for your country.” Following a Gulf War deployment, Boice faced a multitude of health problems including a hysterectomy before the age of 40.
For decades, military medicine has centered largely on male service members, leaving critical gaps in understanding how deployment affects women’s bodies. As the number of female veterans continues to grow, research into reproductive health, toxic exposure, and trauma must keep pace. For many Gulf War veterans, the consequences of service did not end overseas, and the full scope of those consequences may only now be coming into view.
