Health risks and effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol.

Patients exposed prenatally to diethylstilbestrol have been shown to have a number of significant health risks that may be considered in the evaluation of this population. Neoplastic lesions of the cervix and vagina have been observed in a few patients. Increased prevalence of squamous intraepithelial neoplasms has been reported by several large clinical centers, and a recent observation of ovarian neoplasms has been reported. The significance of these observations remains to be substantiated. Anatomic deformities of the cervix, vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes have been associated with increased pregnancy loss or infertility. The epithelial abnormalities of adenosis and cervical erosion essentially hallmark prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol. These changes are in themselves not malignant or premalignant and rarely warrant therapy (Figure 1).