{"id":404,"date":"2015-04-07T07:55:19","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T11:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/2015\/04\/how-much-do-you-know-about-diethylstilbestrol\/"},"modified":"2015-04-07T07:55:19","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T11:55:19","slug":"how-much-do-you-know-about-diethylstilbestrol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/how-much-do-you-know-about-diethylstilbestrol\/","title":{"rendered":"How much do you know about diethylstilbestrol?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diethylstilbestrol was once broadly used in medicine. It used to be given to pregnant women to help prevent miscarriages and difficulties associated with child birth. It also was placed in cattle feed to boost growth. DES was used for about 30 years until doctors began finding out that it caused far more negative side effects than benefits. <\/p>\n

What is DES? <\/strong>
\nDES is an organic chemical that was first created in a laboratory in 1938, the U.s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained. Chemically written as C18<\/sub>H20<\/sub>O2<\/sub>, DES is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen as well as an endocrine disrupter.<\/p>\n

Soon after it was invented, doctors started using the drug as a way to give pregnant women more estrogen. It was thought that a lack of estrogen was causing birth problems, miscarriage and premature births, the CDC explained. Research in 1953 proved no connection between DES use and preterm labor, but doctors continued to use the drug until 1971. <\/p>\n

In 1971, doctors stopped prescribing DES after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it had been found that the medication caused vaginal cancer in young women who were exposed to DES in utero. While some women were contacted by their doctors, it was difficult to find everyone who had been exposed to DES over the 30 year period where it was regularly given. There was no simple test for the chemical. <\/p>\n

DES also affected the pregnant women who took the medication. As University of Wisconsin Medical School doctors Sarina Schrager, M.D., and Beth Potter, M.D., described in an article for American Family Physician, women who took DES drugs are more at risk of breast cancer. <\/p>\n

"Although diethylstilbestrol has not been given to pregnant women in the United States for more than 30 years, its effects continue to be seen," the doctors wrote. "Women who took diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than the general population and therefore should be encouraged to have regular mammography. Women who were exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero may have structural reproductive tract anomalies, an increased infertility rate, and poor pregnancy outcomes."<\/p>\n

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In addition to affecting the women who took the medication and their daughters, it also could impact the third generation as well. Although the effects aren't nearly as clear as they were with the children whose mothers took the medication, third generation women may have menstrual issues. <\/p>\n

Men can also be affected. Sons and grandsons of women who took the drug are at greater risk of having genital abnormalities. Cancer risks are less clear, <\/p>\n

DES was continued to be given as a pregnancy drug in Europe until 1978, according to the National Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n

Other DES uses  <\/strong>
\nWhile the main purpose of DES since it was invented was for pregnant women it has also been used in cattle feed.<\/p>\n

Because DES is a synthetic hormone it can affect the way that cows grow. Cattle designed for meat need to grow quickly and the larger they are the more money ranchers can make. DES was a cost effective way to do this and the first major hormone to be used in cattle ranching. <\/p>\n

Some criticized the quality of the beef made with DES, but it remained a successful part of the cattle industry for nearly 40 years. In 1979, DES was banned in beef production because of concerns of cancer, although it was rarely found in high amounts in the actual meat. <\/p>\n

Other hormones have been used in cattle subsequently for similar effects. Feeding or implanting hormones in cattle has led to a number of debates and trade stand-offs related to beef in the international and domestic markets. <\/p>\n