Pregnancy Outcomes Among U.S. Women Vietnam Veterans

Background: Since the 1965-1975 Vietnam War, there has been persistent concern that women who served in the U.S. military in Vietnam may have experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: We compared self-reported pregnancy outcomes for 4,140 women Vietnam veterans with those of 4,140 contemporary women veterans who were not deployed to Vietnam. As a measure of association, we calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using logistic regression adjusting for age at conception, race, education, military nursing status, smoking, drinking and other exposures during pregnancy.

Results: There was no statistically significant association between military service in Vietnam and index pregnancies resulting in miscarriage or stillbirth, low birth weight, pre-term delivery, or infant death. The risk of having children with "moderate-to-severe" birth defects was significantly elevated among Vietnam veterans (adjusted OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.06-2.02).

Conclusions: The risk of birth defects among index children was significantly associated with mother's military service in Vietnam.