title: Current challenges in female veterans' health.
abstract: Abstract   Women in the U.S. military are technically barred from serving in combat specialties, positions, or units; however, since Operation Desert Storm, women have served in forward positions in greater numbers. This increased involvement in combat zones has resulted in exposures to trauma, injury, and a myriad of environmental hazards associated with modern war. Some of these hazards present new health risks specifically relevant to women who have been deployed to or recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan or both. To address this evolving public health concern, the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) convened a 1-day interdisciplinary scientific conference, with speakers and attendees from civilian, military, and veteran settings. The purpose of the conference was to reveal the state-of-the-science on the health of the female veteran and to focus attention on recent advances in biomedical research related to female veterans' health. The following topics were discussed: mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and depression), urogenital health, musculoskeletal health, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
authors.affiliation: Society for Women's Health Research , 1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA. chris@swhr.org
authors.forename: Eileen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mallampalli
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012952:Societies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D058014:Veterans Health; D014857:Warfare; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*