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Diet and Cancer Prevention
DES Dangers May Extend to Grandchildren
Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a drug for preventing miscarriages, was
prescribed to an estimated 4.8 million pregnant women from the mid-1940s
to 1971 before being linked to vaginal and cervical cancer in their
exposed children. At a recent conference on DES sponsored by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, researchers reported
two new concerns. First, cancers may not appear until women reach
their 40s, 50s, and 60s. In addition, because DES given during pregnancy
affects not only the fetus but also the tiny eggs developing within
the fetus' ovaries, risk may extend to the treated women's grandchildren.
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