DES Lawsuit Won Today!!!

I too have also just learned of DES within the last few weeks, and i have been readin up on some information.  How would I find a doctor specializing in DES.  I believe I am a DES daughter. but seeing how my parents passed away when I was young and my mother never questioned anything the doctor gave her all I have to go on is my older siblings stating my mother took something after she was hospitalized as almost miscarring me.  She was 41 when I was born which back in 1969 was a high risk, then with the bleeding.  I got diagnosed with IDC May 17 2010 stage 3b,4/23 nodes as far as everything else all i know is hormone receptor positive.   This would all make sense as I have no other family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer

My SIL died from cervical cancer due to DES at age 18. My mother-in-law sufferered guilt/nightmares her whole life.

I have wondered for many years,since I heard about the problem associated with being given DES to try to stop miscarriage, if I wasn't given it in 1958.  I was about three months in my first pregnancy when I started bleeding.  We lived on the Millington Naval Base in Tn.  We lived on the hospital compound there and my husband took me there where a doctor gave me a bottle of pills to take to see if it would stop the bleeding,  I took them religiously but didn't see the doctor again because we were transferred to the  Camp LeJeune.  I carried my baby successfully and gave birth to a baby boy.  Years later when  read about the problems of DES I worried my son might have problems.  But for some reasons I never told him that he might have been exposed before birth.  I'm sure I would have told him as he had gotten married and might have been having kids.  But that wasn"t to be;six weeks after he married he was killed in a motorcycle accident.  And now  have breast cancer which may or may not be caused by a drug I may or may not have taken.  At least  don't have to worry about my dear son or his children having effects from it!  It wouldn't change things but I'd still like to know.  Hugs and love to you all

tuckertwo - do you know if there are any class actions in Australia or New Zealand regarding this drug? I've just read up on this after seeing your post and have remembered by mother was bleeding while pregnant with me in 1952 - I do know she was given something, but not sure what it was. I'll be calling her tomorrow to find out. Nice to find out this late (after 2 lots of bc) that if I was exposed in the womb that I should never have taken HRT (the pill should be included in that warning too).

Thankyou for your replies - I will be speaking to my mother today - I vaguely remember her mentioning something years ago - maybe when the effects of the drug was first published.

I was given DES to prevent miscarriage so my daughter is exposed.  I have tried to get her to have regular thermography and mammograms but she hasn't up until now.  I am going to make sure she knows about this.  Fortunately she is not on any HRT.

Just spoke to my mother - she was given something in NZ - doesn't know what it was and can't remember if it was an injection or tablets - she's going to think on it - she is 83 so I can't expect her to remember everything. We had talked about it before but not in the context of bc and she can't remember why we talked about it and my chemo brain doesn't remember everything.

I managed to find out the drug was called stilboestrol in Australia and NZ - I'll see if my mother remembers that name. Also found out that in the early 1950's it was probably given as an injection.

tucker:  I'm doing fine...had surgery in December, no chemo or rads, but probably some hormone therapy for five years.  Following a strict diet and supplementation program as well.  Will alternate between thermography and mammo frequently to keep on top of things.  Hope you are doing well also.  I am going to have DD tell her gyn that she was exposed to DES so they can check her.

Unfortunately, she was also exposed to radiation as a baby because she had a birthmark on the back of her head and the pediatrician thought it might grow so they radiated it to make it disappear...yikes!!  I didn't have the sense then to know it could be harmful later on.  I've told her all this but she just makes a joke of it, saying I had her brain nuked and that's why she acts stupid sometimes:) 

Tucker - I think she may have had an injection. She was treated by a local gp in a small town. Seeing it was 59 years ago, I doubt there would be any records. The good thing was finding out the name used in NZ at that time and the usual method of delivery - found it on a NZ website. It does seem familiar to me too, maybe from our previous conversation about it.

I'm definitely going to discuss all of this with my oncologist when I see him next month. I may then get a referral to a Gyn and investigate further.

Thankyou for your help

Sue

Ok - here's the story - my mother remembers they were tablets and they made her sick, so she didn't take them all. She can't remember the name though. I really don't think that memory is reliable because of her age. I'll let it go for now, but will ask my onc about it next time I see him.

tuckertwo - Wow - this is indeed a landmark victory!!! The only sad part is that it took so long to reach it.

I learned about DES many years ago. I remember asking my mom, who was very unclear about the medications she took while pregnant. In 1950, the Doctor was God, and you didn't question him. We never did get a satisfactory answer.

I had early cervical cancer in situ at the age of 22. I went on to have numerous cervical issues, horrific fibroids, and eventually a complete hysterectomy. Fertility was never an issue, as I never had kids.

I did, however, take ten years of Hormone Replacement Therapy after my hysterectomy. Did I know it could be dangerous? Yes, but my quality of life depended on it.

I am so sorry you were part of the generation of DES daughters, but I am happy for the legal victory, and validation, if nothing else.

I believe my Mom took DES when she was pregnant with me too. She had some bleeding and the doctor gave her some "pills" and she took them. I was born in 1955. At the age of 24, I had cervical carcinoma in-situ. I also had two miscarriages. Now I have BC and I am >95%ER positive and >60% PR positive.

 I am thinking that DES has something to do with this! Now I am worried about my kids too as I saw there may be a link in grandchildren too. Ugh...freeking Big Pharma! I am glad to hear they lost the suit.