Gulf War exposures linked to early menopause in women veterans

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Caitlin Haas, clinical research coordinator at the San Francisco VA Health Care System, discussed her poster abstract on Gulf War military environmental exposures and their potential link to early menopause in women veterans.

Haas discussed how military environmental exposures, such as prolonged exposure to oil well fire smoke, burning trash, and other hazardous conditions, may adversely impact reproductive health. These exposures have been linked to issues such as infertility, miscarriage, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. According to Haas, the suspected mechanism behind these effects includes disrupted endocrine function and chronic inflammation, which may contribute to oocyte destruction and premature ovarian aging.

The research was conducted to determine whether these environmental exposures, common among Gulf War veterans, relate to early menopause, defined as menopause occurring before the age of 45 years. The study utilized data from the ongoing Gulf War Era Cohort Study, a prospective longitudinal study with 30,000 veterans, including 668 women veterans who were aged under 45 years at the time of the 2012 data collection.

The participants were surveyed multiple times, with their deployment history, exposure to military environmental hazards, experiences with Gulf War illness, military sexual trauma, and PTSD symptoms reported as primary outcomes. Using logistic regression analysis, Haas and her team assessed the odds of early menopause in relation to these exposures.

The results showed that 15% of women in the study experienced early menopause, which is higher than the general US prevalence of 5% to 10%. Notably, women diagnosed with Gulf War illness were almost twice as likely to report early menopause, and women with PTSD were nearly 2.5 times more likely to report it. These findings are significant, as the number of women veterans utilizing VA health care is increasing, and the study underscores the importance of addressing menopausal care within this growing population.

Haas concluded by noting the importance of the research, given recent legislative efforts, such as the passage of the PACT Act and a White House executive order prioritizing women's health in the military. She hopes that future data collection, which will include more questions on menopause and women's health, will further inform this critical area of veteran care.