DES-exposed male offspring urogenital tract abnormalities, 1976
Study Abstract
Since in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) is known to cause abnormalities of the female genital tract later in life, exposed male offspring were located, surveyed by mail, and compared with unexposed male offspring from the same period and medical practices.
The exposed and unexposed respondents appeared comparable and did not differ in their response to most medical questions. However, a larger proportion of exposed than of unexposed boys had experienced problems in passing urine (12.9% vs. 1.8%, P = .0003) and abnormalities of the penile urethra (4.4% vs. 0%; P = .017).
Remark : a DES-induced abnormality of the male urethra is embryologically consistent with DES-induced abnormalities of the vagina whether the latter are of Mullerian or urethral fold origin.
The findings suggest that more detailed historical and clinical examination of such boys is warranted.
Sources
- Urogenital tract abnormalities in sons of women treated with diethylstilbestrol, NCBI PubMed PMID: 972792, 1976.
- SELECTED MEDICAL HISTORIES IN DES-EXPOSED AND DES-UNEXPOSED MALES featured image credit PMID: 972792.
DES DIETHYLSTILBESTROL RESOURCES
- Source DES and hypospadias studies.
- Diethylstilbestrol DES studies by topics.