DES BASICS
The drug: DES (Di-ethyl-stil-bes-trol)
Kind of drug: Synthetic hormone
When given: Primarily between 1938 and 1971
To whom: An estimated 4.8 million pregnant women in the U.S.
By whom: Private doctors and medical clinics in the United States, on
U.S. military bases around the world, and in many foreign countries
Reason given: To prevent miscarriage and improve pregnancy outcomes;
eventually determined to be ineffective
How given: Under more than 200 brand names as pills, injections, or
vaginal suppositories, and sometimes in pregnancy vitamins
Who may be exposed: Any woman who received medication during a pregnancy
primarily between 1938 and 1971, and the child she was carrying, may be
"DES exposed"
When stopped: The FDA directed doctors not to prescribe DES to pregnant
women in 1971, when it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer in DES daughters
Signs of exposure: Usually no obvious signs
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