Women are playing an ever increasing role in the US military, representing about 15% of active military personnel, 17% of reserve and National Guard forces, and 20% of new military recruits. Concurrently, women are one of the fastest growing groups of new users in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, with particularly high rates of utilization among veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Of the more than 100,000 OEF/OIF women veterans, over 44% have enrolled in the VA system for health care. Thus, women veterans represent an integral part of the veteran community. Women's military experiences and responses to their military experiences are often distinct from those of men, and these differences can affect both their health status and their health care needs as active duty personnel and as veterans. This, together with the rise in the number of women veterans in the VA system, calls for increased understanding of women veteran health issues and areas of potential knowledge deficit in order to guide VA care and VA research efforts. The body of research literature dedicated to women veterans and women's military health and health care issues has significantly grown and expanded in size and scope since the |