DES abnormalities don't just stop with DES daughters. Unfortunately, since DES affects the female genital tract so profoundly, it comes as no surprise that the offspring of DES daughters can be developmentally delayed. Some of the neurological and behavioral abnormalities seen in these DES grandchildren are quite dramatic, whereas others are more subtle and noted only on very specific psychological or intelligence testing.
It is tragic that DES (diethylstilbestrol) continues to affect innocent people even today, thirty-six years after it was taken off the market. Our DES attorney staff has compiled the related medical studies on this heartbreaking topic and is prepared to assist the families of these innocent DES grandchildren. We invite the interested reader to review these studies and are available to answer any questions that arise.
It is not surprising that DES, a drug shown by decades of research to affect the female genital tract of women exposed in utero, could cause severe abnormalities in their offspring. As highlighted above, DES daughters often have severe cervical abnormalities that can result in preterm labor or miscarriage. Chief among these abnormalities are a short cervix, cervical incompetence and cervical stenosis or narrowing. As a result of these significant cervical abnormalities, obstetricians are often faced with significant issues regarding the unborn fetus. Many women have required cerclage, bed rest and Caesarian section to delay delivery as close to term as possible.
In 2001, Althuisius et al. noted significantly reduced preterm delivery (before 34 weeks gestation) and neonatal morbidity using a combination of therapeutic cerclage and bed rest compared to bed rest alone (P = 0.005) (23). Even with optimal therapy, preterm delivery is still problematic and their offspring, in effect DES third generation victims, have been diagnosed with a panoply of neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders including cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, blindness, deafness or seizures. Bhutta et al. performed a meta-analysis of more subtle cognitive and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children (at least 5 years of age) in case-control studies that were born preterm (24).
More specifically, the authors reviewed cognitive data from 15 studies and behavioral data from16 studies and used meta-analysis linear regression models to explore the impact of birth weight and gestational age on cognitive outcomes. In their final analysis, the authors determined that preterm delivery and low birth weight were significantly associated with lower cognitive scores, a higher risk of abnormal internalizing and externalizing behaviors and a 2.64-fold risk of developing ADHD than their matched controls. These behaviors can lead to significant parenting stress and maternal depression.
23. Althuisius S.M. et al. Final Results of the Cervical Incompetence Prevention Randomized Cerclage Trial (CIPRACT): Therapeutic Cerclage with Bed rest versus bed Rest Alone. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 185; 5: 1106-1112, November 2001.
24. Bhutta A.T. et al. Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes of School-Aged Children Who Were Born Preterm. JAMA. 288; 6 728-736, 2002.