Diethylstilbestrol or DES

Diethylstilbestrol or DES - pronounced "die-eth-el-still-bess-troll" and called DES for short - is certainly a mouthful but what is it?

Diethylstilbestrol is a synthetic - man made - estrogen, a female hormone - that was used in the United States to prevent miscarriage and other pregnancy complications between 1938 and 1971.

Yes, it was and still is an FDA approved drug.

The use of DES declined after studies in the 1950s showed it was not effective in preventing pregnancy complications. Yet, by then it had been used for almost 20 years.

As a matter of fact, in 1953 it was demonstrated that DES did not prevent miscarriage or other pregnancy complications. However, physicians continued to prescribe DES to pregnant women until at least 1971.

Certainly, you must be wondering as we are...

...why another 18 years - 1953 to 1971?

...why?

We are still waiting for an answer.

When given during the first 5 months of a pregnancy, DES interferes with the development of the reproductive system in an unborn baby.

For this reason, although DES and other estrogens may be prescribed for some medical problems, they are no longer used during pregnancy.

In 1971, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - note, 33 years after it was first used on pregnant women - issued a warning...

...a warning?...

...not a ban?...

Evidence from a recent study suggests that daughters of women who took diethylstilbestrol or DES during pregnancy may have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer afterage 40.

A slight increase?

The risk of breast cancer for DES-exposed women over age 40 was 1.9 times the risk of breast cancer for unexposed women of the same ages. 1.9 times...

... isn't that almost double your chances?

Do you call that a slight increase?

Although diethylstilbestrol or DES has not been given to pregnant women in the United States for more than 30 years, its effects continue to be seen.

To read the rest of this article go to:

http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/Diethylstilbestrol-or-DES.html