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Assessing United States Military Veterans' Fertility Intentions Before and After Military Service Using a
A M Racila1, Kenda R Stewart Steffensmeier1, Monica B Paez1
1Center for Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52246, United States.
Military service impacts fertility planning for veterans. Factors like trauma and deployment fears influence childbearing intentions for both men and women, affecting reproductive healthcare needs.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Reproductive Health
- Military Medicine
Background:
- Military service is a significant life transition in early adulthood.
- Existing research suggests military service delays childbearing, particularly for women.
- The Cognitive-Social Model of Fertility Intentions explains how life events shape family planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively explore factors influencing U.S. military veterans' fertility planning before and after service.
- To apply the Cognitive-Social Model of Fertility Intentions to veteran fertility planning.
- To investigate fertility intentions in both male and female veterans, a previously understudied area.
Main Methods:
- Thematic analysis of 60 semi-structured interviews with U.S. military veterans.
- Participants were selected based on fertility status and experiences such as combat-related PTSD, military sexual assault, toxin exposure, or combat injury.
- Interviews assessed socio-structural factors influencing family planning decisions before, during, and after military service.
Main Results:
- Before service, veterans anticipated forming families or had no childbearing expectations.
- During and after service, factors like partnership, deployment fears, age, and military trauma motivated fertility planning.
- Both male and female veterans identified similar service-related factors influencing fertility intentions, including trauma and service demands.
Conclusions:
- Qualitative findings can inform the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) reproductive healthcare services for veterans.
- Understanding post-military fertility intentions supports the VHA's Whole Health approach.
- Improved understanding can enhance clinician-veteran communication and guide reproductive healthcare policy.
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