Medical uses
DES has been used in the past for the following indications:
Recurrent miscarriage in pregnancy
Menopausal hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal atrophy
Hormone therapy for hypoestrogenism (e.g., gonadal dysgenesis, premature ovarian failure, and after oophorectomy)
Postpartum lactation suppression to prevent or reverse breast engorgement
Gonorrheal vaginitis (discontinued following the introduction of the antibiotic penicillin)
Prostate cancer and breast cancer
Prevention of tall stature in tall adolescent girls
Treatment of acne in girls and women
As an emergency postcoital contraceptive
As a means of chemical castration for hypersexuality and paraphilias in men and sex offenders
Prevention of the testosterone flare at the start of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) therapy
Feminizing hormone therapy for transgender womenDES was used at a dosage of 0.2 to 0.5 mg/day in menopausal hormone therapy.Interest in the use of DES to treat prostate cancer in men continues today. However, use of bioidentical parenteral estrogens like polyestradiol phosphate has been advocated in favor of oral synthetic estrogens like DES due to their much lower risk of cardiovascular toxicity. In addition to prostate cancer, some interest in the use of DES to treat breast cancer in women continues today as well.
From about 1940 to 1971, the medication was given to pregnant women in the incorrect belief that it would reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and losses. In 1971, DES was shown to cause clear-cell carcinoma, a rare vaginal tumor, in girls and women who had been exposed to this medication in utero. The United States Food and Drug Administration subsequently withdrew approval of DES as a treatment for pregnant women. Follow-up studies have indicated that DES also has the potential to cause a variety of significant adverse medical complications during the lifetimes of those exposed.The United States National Cancer Institute recommends women born to mothers who took DES to undergo special medical exams on a regular basis to screen for complications as a result of the medication. Individuals who were exposed to DES during their mothers pregnancies are commonly referred to as "DES daughters" and "DES sons". Since the discovery of the toxic effects of DES, it has largely been discontinued and is now mostly no longer marketed.