Topic Overview

Between 1948 and 1971, millions of women took a drug called diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriage.

Daughters born to women who took DES while pregnant have a slightly higher risk of developing:

• Abnormal cervical cells that cause an abnormal Pap test result.
• Cancer of the vagina.
• Structural problems in the reproductive organs (such as a T-shaped uterus), which can cause infertility.