• Defective Drug Side Effects

Find a Lawyer in Your State

Need Help?

A new study indicates that daughters of women who took a popular pregnancy drug have two times the risk of developing breast cancer compared to other women their age.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic oestrogen that was widely prescribed to pregnant women between the 1940s and 1970s to reduce the risk of miscarriage and combat morning sickness.

Clinical studies conducted in the 1950s suggested that DES did not minimize miscarriage risks, but the drug continued to be used for two more decades before it was pulled off the market after exposed children suffered reproductive system disorders such as cervical cancer, low sperm count, and testicular cancer in men. Researchers also found a significant link between DES use and breast cancer in mothers.

The most recent study, published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention journal has found that women maternally exposed to DES while in the womb, have a 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer. Furthermore, the greater the amount of DES used by the mother, the more likely the daughter will face breast cancer risks, according to the study.

Researchers at Boston University School of Public Medicine evaluated almost 5,000 exposed women over the age of 40 and about 2,000 unexposed women. Other factors that may contribute to breast cancer risk were also taken into account.

The study concluded that women whose mothers had taken DES while pregnant had 1.9 times the risk of breast cancer compared to unexposed women. Experts believe that the oestrogen in DES causes the rise in the number of breast tissue stem cells that develop at birth—cells that could potentially become cancerous.

“This is really unwelcome news because so many women worldwide were prenatally exposed to DES, and these women are just now approaching the age at which breast cancer becomes more common,” said lead author of the study, Professor Julie Palmer.

Researchers urge women exposed to DES to undergo regular breast check-ups and be cautious about using hormone replacement therapies, also known to significantly heighten the risk of breast cancer.

Have you been injured by a defective drug? If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury or death as a result of a defective drug, please contact us today to learn more about your legal rights and options.