Consequences of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol

Exposure to the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) during the first 18 weeks of prenatal life can have many results ranging from benign misconfigurations of the reproductive organs to adenocarcinoma. Since the drug was routinely administered to pregnant American women from 1940 to 1970, a large population of Americans are involved. The key factor is early awareness to the exposure and careful follow-up. Since many of those exposed are unaware that they received DES, the health care profession must be attuned to the signs and symptoms predisposed by the exposure and be able to provide adequate follow-up and education concerning this medical problem.