Stilbestrol (Diethylstilbestrol, or DES)

• Diethylstilbestrol, also known as Stilbestrol, is a synthetic estrogen that was created in a laboratory in 1938. Although the drug was originally prescribed by doctors to aid in miscarriage prevention---and to limit pregnancy problems---it was later determined that DES didn't help prevent pregnancy or early births.
  
  By 1971, testing had revealed that DES caused a rare form of vaginal cancer in young girls and women who had experienced exposure while in their mother's womb, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Hence, the Food and Drug Administration advised physicians to stop prescribing the drug to pregnant women.
  
  

Stilbestrol and Males

• While female children born to women who had been exposed to Stilbestrol stood the risk of getting vaginal cancer, male children were also vulnerable to risks related to DES exposure. Specifically, males were at risk of having non-cancerous growths (cysts) form on their testicles, according to the CDC.
  
  In addition, male children exposed to DES while in the womb could also potentially expect to experience the following conditions: formation of very small testes, undescended testes, enlarged varicose veins in the testicles and possible infertility, according to DESAction.org, a website to aid those affected by DES.
  
  

Stilbestrol and Erection Function

• According to the online website Health.am, Stilbestrol lowers circulating testosterone in the body, resulting in the loss of male libido as well as causing erectile dysfunction.
  
  Chemically induced erectile dysfunction---as occurs through the use of Stilbestrol or other medications that can have the same effect---can be remedied through the cessation of such medication. Unfortunately, the same is not true for males exposed to DES while in their mother's womb.
  
  

Significance

• According to the CDC, there is no specific medical test (blood, skin or urine) that can help to determine a male's early exposure to Stilbestrol. Knowledge of an individual's mother's use of the drug during pregnancy, however, can serve to provide some advance warning of potential problems that may be experienced, including erectile dysfunction.
  
  

Warning

• While no current studies support that DES exposure causes testicular or prostate cancer, the online website DESAction.org states that a higher risk of testicular cancer might be experienced by men who have been exposed to DES. This is due to the fact that such men are more likely to have genital abnormalities, which predisposes them to testicular cancer. Likewise, animal studies have concluded that a greater risk for prostate cancer exists for males exposed to DES.