Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is
a drug once prescribed during pregnancy to prevent
miscarriages or premature deliveries. In the U.S. an
estimated 5 to 10 million persons were exposed to DES
from 1938 to 1971, including pregnant women prescribed
DES and their children. In 1971, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) advised physicians to stop
prescribing DES because it was linked to a rare vaginal
cancer.
After more than 30 years of research, there are
confirmed health risks associated with DES exposure.
However, not all exposed individuals will experience
DES-related health problems. Whether you know for sure
or suspect you were exposed to DES, you can use CDC's
DES Update to learn more about DES exposure and what you
can do about it.
Helpful information on DES
research and a guide to help assess whether you might
have been exposed to DES, as well as in-depth
information for women prescribed DES while pregnant and
their DES Daughters and DES Sons.
Resources to help identify and
counsel DES-exposed individuals. Material includes
essential facts for clinicians and nurses, pharmacology,
NCI guidelines, educational tools and resources, and
support organizations.
Tools to help you
share information from the DES Update with your
organization, including promotional materials, Web site
linking kit, fact sheets and newsletter articles.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"