Genital tract anomalies associated with in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol

The gross anatomic changes and the vaginal epithelial changes in 687 women exposed in utero to diethylstibestrol are described, as well as the findings in 66 of these women who agreed to undergo hysterosalpingography. Of 537 women in the study group whose time of in utero exposure to stilbestrol was known. 33% demonstrated gross anatomic changes of the cervix, whereas 44% of them were found on colposcopic examination to have vaginal epithelial changes. These changes occurred in a significantly higher percentage of women exposed in utero before the 20th week of gestation. Among the women included in the study on the basis of a review of their prenatal history, gross anatomic changes of the cervix seemed to be more common in those under the age of 19 years than in those older than 19 when they first entered the study. Gross abnormalities in the uterus were noted in 44 of the 66 women studied by hysterosalpingography. These changes consisted primarily of marked aberrations in the size and shape of the uterine cavity.