BACKGROUND: Numerous questions have been raised about the health consequences to 
veterans of the Gulf War but most particularly to issues concerning women, who 
were deployed in unprecedented numbers. Little is known about the health 
consequences to women of wartime stressors, in general, or the environmental and 
job-related exposures specific to the theater of the Gulf War.
METHODS: A stratified sample of 525 women participated in the study following 
the war and again in a follow-up study 2 yr later. The sampling frame was 
stratified on component of the U.S. Air Force (active, guard or reserve), 
deployment (in the theater or elsewhere), and parental status (parent or 
nonparent). Measures included items concerning general physical health, 
gender-specific health, the "Gulf War Syndrome," and the emotional responses to 
war, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
RESULTS: Multiple statistical analyses were used to describe women's physical 
and emotional health at two time points following the war. Women deployed to the 
theater reported significantly more general as well as gender-specific health 
problems than did women deployed elsewhere. A cluster of common health problems 
included: skin rash, cough, depression, unintentional weight loss, insomnia, and 
memory problems. Women serving in the theater also reported a significant 
increase in several gender-specific problems compared to women deployed 
elsewhere.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the need for follow-up of a cluster of specific 
health effects, including those concerning gynecologic and reproductive health.