FINDING OUT IF YOU WERE EXPOSED

Many people do not know that they were exposed to DES. Mothers may not have known they were taking DES or remember the kinds of medication they were given when they were pregnant. Some prescription vitamins included DES.

WHAT TO DO

Women Who Might Have Taken DES

If you remember taking any medicine during pregnancy, try to get your medical records.

Daughters and Sons

Ask your mother (or other relatives who might know your mother's pregnancy history):

Did you (my mother) take any medications during pregnancy?
Did you (my mother) have problems during any pregnancy, such as bleeding, miscarriage, premature birth, or diabetes? (If so, there is an increased possibility that you mother was given DES).

Find out if your mother can get her medical records to see if she took DES. If not, perhaps you can (see page 32).

"My mother is really shocked. She had no idea
that she took it."

How to Look for Medical Records

We suggest writing and enclosing a stamped envelope rather than making a telephone call to the sources below. You are more likely to get a response if you make it easy for the office to reply. Persistence is also important. You may have to try several times to obtain copies of the records.

Contacting the Doctor

If the doctor is still practicing, ask in writing for a copy of any records showing medicines you (or your mother) took during pregnancy. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

When a physician retires or dies, the practice is often transferred to another doctor who takes over the records. You can write or call the local County Medical Society and ask who has the doctor's records. You can get the address from the County Health Department of the State Board of Medical Examiners.

"Go find the information. It is out there."

Contacting the Hospital

Write to the Medical Records Department of the hospital where your birth took place. A consent form from your mother may be required for release of medical records. If that is not possible, you may wish to state that you are requesting your own birth records.

Give your mother's name, the name of the doctor present at delivery, and your date of birth. Ask what medicines taken during pregnancy are listed on your mother's record.

Contacting the Pharmacy

If you know what pharmacy was used, you can request a copy of prescriptions filled during the pregnancy. Send the name and the approximate date of the prescription. Some pharmacists have records going back many years; other do not. Regulations about keeping prescription records differ by state. See the inside back cover for a list of the names under which DES has been sold in the United States.

Interpreting the Prescription

Sometimes it is hard to tell if a prescription contained DES. Other medications that did not contain DES were also given to women during pregnancy. When DES is listed, it is usually listed as either DES or Stilbestrol.

DES was sold under over 200 different brand names. Names for the most commonly used DES drugs are on the inside back cover. If you cannot find the name of the drug you are investigating in the list on the inside back cover, contact a DES consumer organization (page 42) for information on the prescribed drug.

How to Get Military Records

For non-military beneficiaries, records are kept for 25 years after last treatment. Records for active duty members are destroyed 50 years after last treatment. Requests should include the following information:

Place where treatment was given
Date of treatment (give the year, at least)
Sponsor's name, rank and social security number (or service number) at that time
Authorization for release of information: for adults, it should be signed by the person who received treatment; for minors, it should be signed by a parent or guardian; for deceased persons, it should be signed by next of kin
Type of record requested: inpatient, outpatient, or both
Name and address of doctor or medical facility to whom copies are to be sent, if so desired

Active Duty Members Prior to 1989
Write to:
National Personnel Records Center
9700 Page Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63118

Note: A large fire destroyed many of the military records stored in this warehouse. You may not be able to get your records because of this fire.

Dependents and Others
Write to:
National Personnel Records Center
Civilian Personnel Records
111 Winnebago St.
St. Louis, MO 63118

If You Cannot Find Any Records

Women

If you were born between 1938 and 1971 and you have reason to suspect DES exposure, the best thing to do is to have the recommended pelvic exam for DES daughters.

Men

If you have any of the symptoms discussed in this booklet, see a doctor.