Table 1.
Characteristics of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Women Veterans Seen at Veterans Health Administration Healthcare Facilities (n = 43,078)
| Characteristic | All female veterans without pregnancy diagnosis (n = 40,112) n (%) | All female veterans with pregnancy diagnosis (n = 2966) n (%) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean, SE) | 29.18 (0.04) | 24.72 (0.08) | <0.0001 |
| Days to pregnancy since return from last deployment (mean, SE) | — | 691 (8.52) | — |
| Race | |||
| White | 21,660 (54) | 1,483 (50) | <0.0001 |
| Black | 12,034 (30) | 890 (30) | |
| Hispanic | 4,011 (10) | 415 (14) | |
| Other | 1,203 (3) | 89 (3) | |
| Unknown | 1,203 (3) | 89 (3) | |
| Marital status | |||
| Never married | 22,463 (56) | 1,928 (65) | <0.0001 |
| Currently married | 13,638 (34) | 860 (29) | |
| Separated/divorced/widowed/annulled | 4,011 (10) | 178 (6) | |
| Unknown | 40 (.11) | 3 (.10) | |
| Education | |||
| <High school or high school graduate | 27,276 (68) | 2,402 (81) | <0.0001 |
| Some college or college graduate | 10,429 (26) | 475 (16) | |
| Graduate school | 2,407 (6) | 89 (3) | |
| Rank | |||
| Officer | 3,610 (9) | 89 (3) | <0.0001 |
| Enlisted | 36,101 (90) | 2,847 (96) | |
| Component | |||
| Guard | 9,226 (23) | 475 (16) | <0.0001 |
| Reserves | 10,830 (27) | 564 (19) | |
| Active duty | 20,056 (50) | 1958 (66) | |
| Branch | |||
| Army | 26,474 (66) | 1,987 (67) | <0.0001 |
| Navy | 5,215 (13) | 445 (15) | |
| Air Force | 6,819 (17) | 386 (13) | |
| Marines | 1,203 (3) | 148 (5) | |
| Coast Guard | 120 (.03) | 9 (.03) | |
| Year of return from last deployment | |||
| 2001 | 802 (2) | 59 (2) | <0.0001 |
| 2002 | 2,807 (7) | 237 (8) | |
| 2003 | 8,022 (20) | 801 (27) | |
| 2004 | 8,825 (22) | 830 (28) | |
| 2005 | 9,627 (24) | 653 (22) | |
| 2006 | 602 (15) | 297 (10) | |
| 2007 | 4,011 (10) | 59 (2) | |
| 2008 | 281 (0.7) | — | |
| Service-connected disability | |||
| None | 2,849 (71) | 1,809 (61) | <0.0001 |
| 0–50% | 883 (22) | 890 (30) | |
| 51%–100% | 281 (7) | 267 (9) | |
| Female genital disorders | 441 (11) | 593 (20) | <0.0001 |
| Joint disorders | 80 (2) | 89 (3) | 0.33 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders | 401 (1) | 30 (1) | 0.47 |
| VHA healthcare use | |||
| General medicine visits (mean, SD) | 8.6 (13.2) | 12.7 (15.7) | <0.0001 |
| Primary care visits (mean, SD) | 4.1 (5.0) | 6.6 (6.4) | <0.0001 |
| Psychiatric visits (mean, SD) | 3.8 (11.2) | 5.8 (20.7) | <0.0001 |
| Use of fee basis/contract care (non-VHA care) | 7,139 (20) | 2,057 (70) | <0.0001 |
SD, standard deviation; SE, standard error.