Exposure to a xenoestrogen before birth: the diethylstilbestrol experience.

The experiences of diethylstilbestrol (DES), used as a medication for pregnant women, provide a panorama of the effects of an elevated exposure to xenoestrogens during the development of a fetus. DES was common as pregnancy medication in North America, and several European countries from the 1950s into the 1970s. It may still be prescribed as pregnancy medication in Third World countries. DES exposure in utero has been shown to have carcinogenic, teratogenic and reproductive effects. The medical community needs to be alerted to appropriate treatment of patients exposed in utero to elevated levels of estrogens.