Military Toxic Exposure

Описание: The harmful impacts of toxic exposure on veterans have been in the national headlines for months. In this Spotlight on America report, we take a look at what these hazardous exposures may mean for female veterans, particularly those wanting to start a family.

Motherhood is a joy Kerry Karwan wasn’t sure she’d ever know. She told us of all her challenging missions over two decades in the U.S. Coast Guard, starting her family was by far the most grueling. She said she struggled for six years to conceive and still remembers the questions that consumed her life.

"I was like, 'I don’t understand what’s happening,'" she recalled thinking. “'My husband's healthy. He’s had kids, I am healthy. Why are we not getting pregnant?'"

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fertility problems impact about 19% of women of reproductive age. But we discovered that number jumps dramatically when it comes to women who’ve served in the military: a staggering 57% of them said they’ve experienced family-building challenges, according to a 2021 study from the group Blue Star Families.

Some of the causes vary from time away from a spouse to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But there’s also a lesser-known culprit that thousands of military women like Kerry believe may be to blame: exposure to toxins.

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