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Self-Reported Reproductive Outcomes Among Male and Female 1991 Gulf War era US Military Veterans

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Abstract

Background: Following the 1991 Gulf War, some veterans expressed concerns regarding their reproductive health. Our objective was to assess whether an association exists between deployment to the 1991 Gulf War and self-reported adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: Using a modified Dillman technique with telephone follow-up, we conducted a survey via a postal questionnaire from February 1996–August 1997 to compare selected reproductive outcomes among 10,000 US veterans deployed to the 1991 Gulf War with those of 10,000 nondeployed Gulf War era veterans. Results: A total of 8742 individuals responded to the survey, a response rate of 51 percent. Using multivariable analyses, results showed no differences in number of reported pregnancies between Gulf War veterans and nondeployed veterans. Among 2233 female and 2159 male participants, there were no differences in birth weight of infants born to Gulf War veterans compared with nondeployed Gulf War era veterans. In multivariable models, male and female Gulf War veterans did not significantly differ in risk for ectopic pregnancies, stillbirths, or miscarriages when compared with nondeployed veterans of the same era. Conclusions: These results do not suggest an association between service in the 1991 Gulf War and adverse reproductive outcomes for both male and female veterans during the 4 years after the war.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the following professionals: Dr. Gary Gackstetter, Dr. Tomoko Hooper, Dr. Karl Friedl, Robert J. Reed, Andrew Zau, Dr. Rebecca Calderon, Michael A. Dove from the Defense Manpower Data Center, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. This represents report 05-15, supported by the Department of Defense, under work unit no. 60002. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, or the US Government. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. This research has been conducted in compliance with all applicable Federal Regulations governing the protection of human subjects in research (Protocol # 30276).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Defense Center for Deployment Health Research, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA

    Timothy S. Wells, Linda Z. Wang, Christina N. Spooner, Tyler C. Smith & Deborah R. Kamens

  2. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Bldg 824, Rm 206, 2800 Q Street, Dayton, OH, 45433, USA

    Timothy S. Wells

  3. PRA International, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA

    Katia M. Hiliopoulos

  4. University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Gregory C. Gray

  5. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Paul A. Sato

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  1. Timothy S. Wells
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Correspondence to Timothy S. Wells.

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Wells, T.S., Wang, L.Z., Spooner, C.N. et al. Self-Reported Reproductive Outcomes Among Male and Female 1991 Gulf War era US Military Veterans. Matern Child Health J 10, 501–510 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0122-y

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