Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

New MHS Podcast Explores Women’s Health in the Military

Image of KeyserTL 465 x 220 px. A new podcast about women's health is available for download.

Over the past 25 years, the U.S. military has incorporated servicewomen into every occupational specialty, where they have demonstrably improved mission capability and success.

However, the availability and scope of women's health services within the Military Health System continues to vary significantly, with some MHS providers unfamiliar with delivering women's health care, particularly to servicewomen in the field. Helping overcome the specific health care obstacles servicewomen encounter is crucial to ensuring the readiness, health, and well-being of the military. This is one of the reasons why the MHS is launching its new podcast series, Wise Health for Women Warriors.

Wise Health for Women Warriors pulls experts from across the MHS's Women and Infant Clinical Community to answer the most frequently asked questions that military providers have about women's health. The podcast seeks to educate and empower MHS primary care providers to improve health care delivery and outcomes for servicewomen, before, during, and after deployment and throughout their military careers.

The Department of Defense has made great strides over the past 10 years regarding women's health – servicewomen now get 12 weeks of maternity leave instead of six weeks. And female service members are now protected from deployment for 12 months after childbirth. The podcast seeks to build on this progress by providing information and insight about overcoming health care challenges that servicewomen face.

Men don't have to think about changing a tampon or pad down range; or handling urinary urgency, infections, or incontinence when the nearest bathroom is half a mile away. After childbirth, men aren't required to return to work while still recovering and managing breastfeeding – and then go pass a fitness test. Men do not experience these demands on their body or women's age limitations on fertility.

I have experienced these challenges myself, both as a mother and a physician. In 2012, I had only six weeks of maternity leave and had to deploy six months postpartum. I had to pump and dump my breast milk all over Kuwait and Afghanistan while making my way through transient tents to get to Jalalabad so I could provide breast milk for my baby for at least six months. Professionally, I have met many servicewomen who delay starting a family to focus on their careers – a common and often difficult choice that makes infertility a real, widespread challenge.

Wise Health for Women Warriors offers an informed dialogue on real-world health care challenges servicewomen encounter and clinically proven ways to help address them. Through this podcast, my guests and I – and the Military Health System – are striving to make things better for the women coming after us.

Empowering Servicewomen

Servicewomen represent a growing and increasingly important subgroup of MHS health care recipients. According to the Defense Health Board's November 2020 report Active Duty Women's Health Care Services, women account for 17% – more than one in six – of active-duty personnel, totaling approximately 225,000 women across all military branches. More than four in 10 MHS active duty and beneficiaries are women, and women have emerged as the fastest-growing active-duty population.

The DHB report also found that servicewomen often lack access to – and even awareness of – products and services for self-diagnosis and self-care of treatable and preventable women's health issues, particularly in operational environments.

In response, the DHB recommended empowering servicewomen to perform self-care as equal partners in their care, incorporating gender-sensitive customization where appropriate. The report endorsed using digital health technology as a scalable, low-cost way to deliver health information and services to women in the military at the point of need, especially in remote and resource-constrained environments.

In addition to this podcast, the MHS offers a breadth of evidence-based digital health technology resources for women’s health. One of these is Decide + Be Ready, a mobile health app specifically designed to support deployed servicewomen in making educated decisions on contraceptives, reproductive health, and family planning.

Investment in the Future

It is challenging for women sometimes to stay in the military as they build a family and build a career. As servicewomen increase their prevalence and prominence in the U.S. military, the MHS must continue to meet them where they are, understand their needs and situations from their perspective, and help them best address those needs with tools that work best for them.

This approach to improving women’s health care is an important investment in the future. How the MHS addresses women's health issues directly impacts the number of women in the military.

The more we can make life better for servicewomen by proactively focusing on their specific health needs, the more we remove the question of whether women will have the medical resources and provider support they need to accomplish their mission, the more women will choose to join and stay

You also may be interested in...

Self Care Skills for the Person with Diabetes

Fact Sheet
5/23/2023

This 46-page patient book provides information on what diabetes is; healthy eating; being active; monitoring; hypo and hyperglycemia, to include symptoms; causes and what to do; diabetes medications; sick day management; caring for the heart, kidneys, eyes, and feet; emotional health; and traveling. Includes patient action plan for healthy eating, exercise, monitoring, and medications.

Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Goal Oriented Guide to Prenatal Care Purple Book

Fact Sheet
5/23/2023

This patient focused book provides information regarding prenatal visits, nutrition, illness, labor & delivery, and the post-partum period.

Command Notification of Pregnancy

Fact Sheet
2/15/2023

This policy clarifies when a Service member’s pregnancy status is shared with commanders, standardizes and extends the timeframe for Service members to inform their commanders about a pregnancy, and reinforces that commanders must always exercise objectivity and discretion when handling reproductive health care issues.

Travel for Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care Services

Fact Sheet
2/15/2023

This regulation ensures Service members and eligible dependents are eligible for travel and transportation allowances to access non-covered reproductive health care services when timely access to non-covered reproductive health care services is not available within the local area of the member’s permanent duty station, temporary duty location, or the last location the dependent was transported on authorized government orders.

Overview: Ensuring Access to Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care

Fact Sheet
2/15/2023

These policies reflect our commitment to taking care of our people and ensuring that the entire Force remains ready and resilient. These policies ensure Service members are able to access non-covered reproductive health care regardless of where they are stationed.

Administrative Absence for Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care

Fact Sheet
2/15/2023

This policy provides Service members the ability to request an administrative absence from their normal duty stations in order to access, or accompany a dual-military spouse or dependent to access, non-covered reproductive health care without being charged leave.

FAQs for Reproductive Health Care

Fact Sheet
11/1/2022

Frequently Asked Questions about reproductive health care. TRICARE has coverage for both medical and pharmacy benefits and includes a list of covered and non-covered services.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care All Service Member Master Trainer Course FAQs

Fact Sheet
4/7/2021

Additional information about the TCCC ASM CM course for potential students to review.

DMRTI_EWSC Student Criteria

Fact Sheet
1/8/2021

A reference for potential EWSC students.

Zika Virus

Fact Sheet
2/3/2016

Zika (zee-kah) virus is primarily spread from an infected person to an uninfected person through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. Although most infections do not cause symptoms, Zika virus infection may result in fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.

Program Areas CBRN Protection

Fact Sheet
5/4/2005

The Medical Countermeasures (MCM) Directorate assists in protecting U.S. forces that are globally engaged and at potentially increased risk to being exposed to naturally occurring substances or encountering manufactured chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) agents that adversaries may seek to use against them.

Page 1 of 1 , showing items 1 - 11
Refine your search
Last Updated: August 03, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery