Des (Noun)
Meaning 1
A potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Synthetic nonsteroid with the properties of estrogen; formerly used to treat menstrual problems but was found to be associated with vaginal cancers in the daughters of women so treated during pregnancy.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The medication, known as DES, was prescribed to millions of pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960s to prevent miscarriage and premature birth.
- DES was initially thought to be a wonder drug, but its use was discontinued in the 1970s after it was linked to serious health problems in the children of women who took it.
- The daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy are at higher risk of developing clear cell adenocarcinoma, a rare type of vaginal cancer.
- In the 1970s, the FDA banned the use of DES in pregnant women due to the increased risk of vaginal cancer in their daughters.
- Women who took DES during pregnancy are advised to have their daughters screened regularly for vaginal cancer and other reproductive problems.