Association of diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero with cryptorchidism, testicular hypoplasia and semen abnormalities
1979 Study Abstract
Epididymal cysts and/or hypoplastic testes have been found in 31.5 per cent of 308 men exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero, compared to 7.8 per cent of 307 placebo-exposed controls.
Analyses of the spermatozoa have revealed severe pathological changes (Eliasson score greater than 10) in 134 diethylstilbestrol-exposed men (18 per cent) and 87 placebo-exposed men (8 per cent).
Further investigation of the 26 diethylstilbestrol-exposed men with testicular hypoplasia has revealed that 65 per cent had a history of cryptorchidism.
Only 1 of the 6 placebo-exposed controls with testicular hypoplasia had a history of testicular maldescent.
Although none of our Diekmann’s lying-in study group has had carcinoma to date one must keep in mind the reported increased risk of testicular carcinoma in testes that are or were cryptorchid.
A 25-year-old man who was not part of the study group was treated recently by us for a testicular carcinoma ( mixed anaplastic seminoma plus embryonal cell carcinoma) and he had a history of diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero and cryptorchidism.
Sources
- Association of diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero with cryptorchidism, testicular hypoplasia and semen abnormalities, The Journal of urology, NCBI PubMed, PMID: 37351, 1979 Jul.
- Featured image credit Ian Espinosa.
DES DIETHYLSTILBESTROL RESOURCES
- Source DES and cryptorchidism studies, DES and hypospadias studies.
- Source DES and testicular cancer studies.
- Diethylstilbestrol DES studies listed by topics and date of publication.