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Review
. 2021 Sep 30;18(19):10309.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910309.

Are the Effects of DES Over? A Tragic Lesson from the Past

Pilar Zamora-León  1
Affiliations
Review

Are the Effects of DES Over? A Tragic Lesson from the Past

Pilar Zamora-León. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a transplacental endocrine-disrupting chemical, was prescribed to pregnant women for several decades. The number of women who took DES is hard to know precisely, but it has been estimated that over 10 million people have been exposed around the world. DES was classified in the year 2000 as carcinogenic to humans. The deleterious effects induced by DES are very extensive, such as abnormalities or cancers of the genital tract and breast, neurodevelopmental alterations, problems associated with socio-sexual behavior, and immune, pancreatic and cardiovascular disorders. Not only pregnant women but also their children and grandchildren have been affected. Epigenetic alterations have been detected, and intergenerational effects have been observed. More cohort follow-up studies are needed to establish if DES effects are transgenerational. Even though DES is not currently in use, its effects are still present, and families previously exposed and their later generations deserve the continuity of the research studies.

Keywords: DES; diethylstilbestrol; endocrine-disrupting chemical; offspring outcomes; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General structure of diethylstilbestrol (DES).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Intergenerational and transgenerational DES effects. The solid line represents what is known, and the dashed line, what is still hypothetical.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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