Women exposed to DES in the womb face increased cancer risk
, by DCEG Staff
NIH researchers followed daughters of women given diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy and found increased fertility problems and cancer risks.
A large study of the daughters of women who had been given DES, the first synthetic form of estrogen, during pregnancy has found that exposure to the drug while in the womb (in utero) is associated with many reproductive problems and an increased risk of certain cancers and pre-cancerous conditions. The results of this analysis, conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and collaborators across the country, were published Oct. 6, 2011, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
News Sources
NCI Cancer Bulletin (Archive): After DES: Tracking the harms of a prenatal drug exposure
News article in NCI’s bi-weekly newsletter the Cancer Bulletin (Archive)
NCI Cancer Bulletin: The DES story: Lessons learned
Video highlight in NCI’s bi-weekly newsletter the Cancer Bulletin
DCEG Linkage: The DES Follow-Up Study
Feature article in the DCEG Linkage Newsletter