Spotlight on How Military Service Can Affect Fertility

Issue

Military service can negatively affect fertility, and service members experience infertility at almost double the rate of the US population. In our Spotlight on How Military Service Can Affect Fertility, we highlight military-connected reasons for fertility challenges, and present the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) and the Department of Defense’s fertility services and restrictions to those services. In addition, we share how our VIVA program complements the VA’s fertility treatment services.

For organizations that service families struggling with service-connected infertility, we recommend that they

• recognize the range of wounds, illnesses, and injuries that affect fertility;
• encourage clinicians to discuss the potential impacts of medication on fertility with service members and veterans;
• provide funding for fertility services to complement existing federal programs and private insurance; and
• expand access to reproductive healthcare services for individuals experiencing service-connected infertility.