What are the causes and symptoms of DES exposure?
DES has affected a very specific group of women. These are women who were exposed to DES in utero before 18 weeks of pregnancy. In other words, their mothers must have taken DES within the first four-five months of pregnancy. It is now known that the female reproductive organs are formed during that time. DES appears to interfere with proper growth and development of the uterus, cervix, vagina, and fallopian tubes. In 2003, new research showed that DES also was associated with increased risk of breast cancer. In the early 1970s, there was an increase in a rare form of cancer, clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix. Up until that time, doctors had seen these cancers only in elderly women. Suddenly, young women who had the disease appeared. This was so unusual that researchers studied these women to see if they had anything in common. After a great deal of questioning and examination, it was found that they all had one factor in common. All of the young women had been exposed
by MedExpert on November 2nd, 2007 DES has affected a very specific group of women. These are women who were exposed to DES in utero before 18 weeks of pregnancy. In other words, their mothers must have taken DES within the first four-five months of pregnancy. It is now known that the female reproductive organs are formed during that time. DES appears to interfere with proper growth and development of the uterus, cervix, vagina, and fallopian tubes. In 2003, new research showed that DES also was associated with increased risk of breast cancer. In the early 1970s, there was an increase in a rare form of cancer, clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix. Up until that time, doctors had seen these cancers only in elderly women. Suddenly, young women who had the disease appeared. This was so unusual that researchers studied these women to see if they had anything in common. After a great deal of questioning and examination, it was found that they all had one factor in common. All
