The Wounds We Don't Talk About: Why OIF/OEF Women Are Fighting a New Battle at Home

For those of us who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, we’re used to the standard veteran health checklist. We talk about the TBIs, the blast exposures, and the back pain from the body armor. But there is a deeper, more exhausting list that many of us carry—one that we’ve been whispering about in private for years.

I know this list because I’ve lived it. I’ve been through the "diagnostic merry-go-round":

• Diagnosed with endometriosis after having debilitating pelvic pain, only to have surgery show "nothing."

• Told I had "pelvic congestion" and PMDD and handed antidepressants as a "fix-all."

• Dealing with multiple and growing uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, only to be told years later the endo was "probably microscopic" all along.

• And now, in my early 40s, being told not to worry about perimenopause because I’m "too young"—even though my body feels a decade older than the calendar says.

The Mission and the "Second Front"

We know the stress wasn’t just the mortars. It was the "Second Front" we fought within our own ranks. It was the hyper-vigilance of watching your back around your own people. It was the sexual harassment, the accusations, the insults, and the exhaustion of being called a "bitch" for leading or a "whore" for dating.

It was the crushing, daily weight of a looming sexual assault—the kind of stress that meant never going to the latrines alone and carrying a fixed-blade knife in my shower kit just to feel safe enough to wash.

On my second deployment, my body finally hit a breaking point: my period simply wouldn’t stop. I became severely anemic, a exhausted shell of myself, and I eventually had to be evacuated under my flight surgeon's orders to Germany to get the gynecological care I needed.

The physical pain was one thing, but the moral weight was worse. Leaving my soldiers and the mission to deal with "women's issues" felt like a failure, even though my body was literally bleeding out. That is no way to lead an air assault company, yet the guilt of leaving stayed with me longer than the anemia did.

A groundbreaking study recently published in Women’s Health Issues (2025) finally validates what we’ve felt in our bones: Combat exposure and PTSD are directly linked to reproductive dysfunction.

Wait—Is this just for Gulf War Veterans? While this specific study followed women from the Gulf War era, it is the "Canary in the Coal Mine" for those of us who served in OIF and OEF. We occupied the same dirt, breathed the same air, and fought the same "Second Front" within our ranks. Their past is our present. The study confirms that these issues don't vanish over time—they compound. It provides a roadmap for what happens to a woman’s body 15, 20, and 25 years after high-stress deployments. If you served in Iraq or Afghanistan, this is your future they are documenting.

Biological Weathering The data shows that our bodies didn't just "get stressed"—they underwent "Biological Weathering." The study found a "dose-response" link, meaning the higher the combat and PTSD stress, the higher the likelihood of developing chronic reproductive disorders. The chronic "fight or flight" mode we lived in—compounded by the toxic culture many of us endured—caused systemic inflammation.

This inflammation is the "hidden shrapnel." It is the root of the fibroids, the cysts, the "microscopic" endo, and the hormonal crashes we are experiencing now.

Don't Let Them Gaslight You

When a doctor tells you your symptoms are "normal" or "unrelated to service," they are ignoring the latest science. Our service during OIF/OEF accelerated our biological clocks.

Take this study to your next VA or OB/GYN appointment. Use these questions to demand the care you earned:

1. The PTSD Link: "I served in OIF/OEF with high levels of combat and culture-based stress. Research now links this to systemic inflammation and reproductive issues. How are we addressing that link in my care?"

2. The Hormone Panel: "I am experiencing perimenopause symptoms in my early 40s. Given that military stress can accelerate biological aging, I am requesting a full hormone panel (FSH, LH, Estrogen, Progesterone) today."

3. Trauma-Informed Diagnostics: "My pelvic pain has been dismissed before. Can we discuss a plan that looks beyond just 'visible' issues and considers the inflammatory impact of my service history?"

4. Coordinated Care: "How can we coordinate my mental health care with my GYN care? I need a plan that treats the whole system, not just symptoms."

You Are Not Alone

If you feel like your body is a "mystery" to your doctors, please know: It is not your fault. Your body did exactly what it was supposed to do to keep you alive in a high-stress, often hostile environment.

We led companies, we flew missions, and we watched each other's backs. Now, it’s time to watch our own. It’s time for the medical system to stop guessing and start listening.

Read the full study here: WHI Journal Article