DES Daughters tend to show increased bisexuality and homosexuality
Abstract
Thirty women aged 17 to 30 years with documented prenatal exposure to the nonsteroidal synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) were compared to thirty women of similar demographic characteristics from the same medical clinic who had a history of abnormal Pap smear findings.
Sexual orientation after prenatal exposure to exogenous estrogen, US National Library of Medicine, Archives of sexual behavior, NCBI PubMed PMID: 3977584, 1985 Feb.
Image credit gazeronly.
A subsample of the DES women were also compared to their DES-unexposed sisters. Sexual orientation in its multiple components was assessed by systematic semistructured interviews.
In comparison to both control groups, the DES women showed increased bisexuality and homosexuality. However, about 75% of the DES women were exclusively or nearly exclusively heterosexual.
Nonhormonal and hormonal interpretations of these findings are discussed.
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