Culture

Who Are The DES Daughters? Big Pharma's Cancer-Causing Drug That Harmed Millions Of Pregnant Women And Their Babies

The women who were exposed to a prescribed synthetic hormone in the womb are living examples of medical malpractice.

By Nicole Dominique2 min read
Pregnant Woman > Pill

From 1938 until 1971,  Diethylstilboestrol (DES) was prescribed to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages, premature labor, and other pregnancy-related complications. After 33 years of doctors prescribing DES, the FDA called for its discontinuation due to it causing a rare cancer called clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA). Today, the women who were exposed to this medication in the womb have a 40-fold increase of developing CCA, and are two and a half times more likely to get breast cancer. They're now known as the DES Daughters.