You survived military sexual trauma (MST), but the damage didn’t end when you left service. Years later, you’re facing infertility treatments you can’t afford, chronic pelvic pain that doctors can’t explain, or sexual dysfunction that’s destroying your relationships. Female Veterans face unique barriers when claiming reproductive health issues. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) often treats fertility problems and sexual dysfunction as separate from mental health MST claims, but the science tells a different story.
At the Law Office of Sean Kendall, our experienced Veterans MST lawyers understand how trauma physically alters your body and know how to build the medical evidence that connects your reproductive struggles to what happened during service. Here’s what you should know—and when to contact our skilled team to assist you.
Can MST Really Cause Infertility and Sexual Dysfunction?
Military sexual trauma doesn’t just live in your mind—it rewires your nervous system and disrupts your hormonal balance. When your body experiences severe trauma, it triggers a cascade of stress hormones that can damage reproductive organs, disrupt menstrual cycles, and alter sexual function. Research consistently shows that survivors of sexual assault experience higher rates of:
- Pelvic inflammatory disease.
- Endometriosis.
- Chronic pelvic pain.
- Secondary amenorrhea (loss of menstrual periods).
The connection isn’t always immediate. Some female Veterans develop reproductive problems years after the assault, making it harder to see the link between service and current health conditions. The VA often misses this delayed timeline, denying claims because symptoms didn’t appear until after discharge. But medical literature supports what survivors already know: trauma changes your body in ways that emerge over time.
Sexual dysfunction after MST takes many forms. Some Veterans experience vaginismus (involuntary muscle spasms that make penetration painful or impossible), while others lose all sexual desire or struggle with arousal and orgasm. These aren’t psychological issues that therapy alone can fix—they're physical conditions rooted in how trauma altered your pelvic floor muscles, nerve pathways, and hormonal regulation.
Why Does the VA Struggle to Recognize Reproductive MST Claims?
The VA disability rating system was designed primarily around male Veterans’ experiences. Reproductive health issues in female Veterans often fall into rating categories that don’t capture the full impact of conditions like infertility or sexual pain disorders. While the VA may acknowledge your PTSD and MST, it might also simultaneously deny that the same trauma caused your pelvic floor dysfunction or inability to conceive.
This disconnect happens because VA examiners often lack specialized training in female reproductive medicine and trauma. They may not know how to evaluate claims for conditions like amenorrhea, stress-induced infertility, or vulvodynia.
What Evidence Do You Need to Win a Reproductive Health MST Claim?
Strong MST reproductive health claims require extensive proof. Your evidence package should include:
- Contemporaneous service records. Even if you don’t have in-service records of the assault, look for sick call visits, mental health appointments, gynecological exams, or prescription records from your service that might reflect physical symptoms like irregular periods, pelvic pain, or treatment for a sexually transmitted infection.
- Post-service gynecological records. Collect all fertility treatment records, including hormone testing results, imaging studies showing structural damage, surgical reports for conditions like endometriosis, and notes from specialists explaining why you’re struggling to conceive or maintain a pregnancy.
- Mental health treatment documentation. Your PTSD treatment records, therapy notes discussing sexual dysfunction, and any medications prescribed for trauma-related symptoms help establish the trauma’s ongoing impact on multiple body systems.
- Fertility treatment costs and outcomes. If you’ve undergone IVF, hormone treatments, or other assisted reproduction procedures, these records prove both the severity of your condition and the financial burden you’ve carried without VA support.
How Can You Get the Right Expert Opinion?
The VA’s compensation and pension (C&P) examiners rarely have the specialized knowledge needed to evaluate complex reproductive claims. You need an independent medical opinion from someone who understands both trauma medicine and reproductive endocrinology. An experienced professional can explain how your specific MST experience caused the cascade of hormonal, neurological, and structural changes that led to your current infertility or sexual dysfunction.
The expert opinion should address specific medical mechanisms. For example:
- Chronic stress from PTSD elevates cortisol levels, which suppresses reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
- Prolonged elevation of stress hormones can cause anovulation (failure to release eggs), irregular cycles, and early menopause.
- Pelvic trauma during assault can cause adhesions, scarring, or nerve damage that leads to chronic pain and sexual dysfunction.
Importantly, the opinion must explicitly state that it’s “at least as likely as not” that your reproductive condition is connected to your MST. This is the legal standard the VA uses, and your expert needs to frame their conclusion in exactly these terms.
Take Action With Our Skilled Team to Find Support and Build Your Case
Female Veterans deserve recognition for all the ways that military sexual trauma damaged their bodies and futures. Whether you’re facing fertility treatment bills, chronic pain, or the loss of intimate relationships, these consequences stem directly from your service—and the VA has an obligation to compensate you for them.
Consider working with Sean Kendall’s legal team. These cases require an in-depth understanding of both VA law and complex medical science that general practitioners often miss. As experienced MST attorneys, we’ll help you identify the right medical experts, frame your claim correctly, and appeal denials that ignore the science connecting trauma to reproductive harm.
