Table 3.
Highlights of Recent VA Women's Health Research*
| VA Research Service | Highlights of Recent Research |
|---|---|
| VA Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development | Identification of a new synthetic estrogen-like compound that reverses bone loss in mice without the reproductive side effects of conventional hormone replacement therapy |
| Prevention of a disease resembling multiple sclerosis in female mice through a combined therapy of estrogen and a T-cell receptor vaccine | |
| Association of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with prolactin, a pituitary hormone that increases during pregnancy, leading to bromocriptine, a prolactin suppressant, as a potential treatment for SLE | |
| VA Clinical Science Research and Development (including the Cooperative Studies Program) | Randomized clinical trial of treatment for PTSD in women veterans (jointly funded by Department of Defense): |
| First multi-site VA clinical trial focused only on women | |
| 12 sites, 284 women veterans and active duty military enrolled | |
| Evaluating efficacy of a type of cognitive behavioral therapy for treating PTSD | |
| VA Rehabilitation Research and Development | Animal model of stress urinary incontinence being developed and tested to develop new strategies for treatment and prevention |
| Estrogen treatment at time of initial injury (rather than prior to or after injury) may facilitate functional recovery and regeneration of injured nerves | |
| A functional virtual reality model of the pelvic floor and organs being developed for education, simulation of surgical outcomes, and planning complex surgical procedures | |
| VA Health Services Research and Development | Evaluation of the prevalence and risks of problem drinking among women veterans |
| Influence of PTSD, depression, and military sexual assault on physical health/function | |
| Comparison of patient satisfaction in different VA women's health care models | |
| Assessment tool and intervention to enhance gender-aware VA health care | |
| Identification of women veterans' ambulatory care use, barriers, and influences |
*
All VA-funded studies are searchable online at http://www1.va.gov/resdev/.