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Has anyone been exposed to diethylstilbestrol (D.E.S) in utero?
Gynecologic Cancers | Last Active: Mar 5 10:03pm | Replies (25)Comment receiving replies
@sepdvm I was born in 1952 and I learned as an adult that my mother miscarried between my birth and my brother who was born in 1955. I wondered if my mother was prescribed DES but I never asked. When I was in my 20's and 30's and had annual Pap smears none of these were abnormal. I remember when I was in my late 20's finding out that one of my colleagues who was about the same age as me learned she was a DES daughter and how frightened she was at the time. Could she have children? Would she develop cancer? I've lost track of her over the years and wondered occasionally what happened.
Your experiences as a veterinarian (is there any peer-viewed published evidence?) that DES does not affect canines in the same way it affected humans is rather telling, isn't it? And that the amount you prescribed for canines was very small in comparison to what pregnant women were prescribed back in the day with no signs of cancer or bone marrow problems in these dogs related to the intermittent DES treatments.
Bravo that you now have these three beautiful children. It must be wearing and exhausting to go through all the surveillance and treatments for metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma for 12 years.
Thank you for sharing your story, Sue.
Replies to "@sepdvm I was born in 1952 and I learned as an adult that my mother miscarried..."
I might add that my daughter age 40 has two healthy children and had none of my problems during gestation. As to DES in dogs, there is plenty of documentation of bone marrow dysplasia with the use of DES for incontinence. at higher doses. Again, the recommended doses vs the effective doses can be vastly different and if a patient does not respond to a small dose, it is not safe to increase it without anticipating side effects. Since it is used in spayed dogs for this leakage problem there is little reproductive tract left to be concerned about for cancer formation, but as to other types.......?
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@naturegirnaturegirl5 and @sepdvm
This renewed interest in DES is interesting. My mom had DES treatments when she was pregnant with me (she had two miscarriages prior). I've given birth once, and there were no problems with the pregnancy or delivery. For that, I'm grateful.
While I've not had any gynecological cancers, I've had the NETs which is a rare form of cancer. I've often wondered how DES might have affected my long-term health.