Stilboestrol (Noun)
Meaning
A potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- Stilboestrol was once widely used as a growth promoter in cattle, but its use is now banned in many countries due to concerns over human health risks.
- The veterinarian prescribed stilboestrol to treat the female dog's urinary incontinence, which was caused by a hormonal imbalance.
- Farmers used stilboestrol in their chicken feed to promote faster growth and weight gain, but the practice was eventually phased out due to concerns over hormone contamination.
- Researchers studied the effects of stilboestrol on human breast cancer cells and found that it increased the rate of cell proliferation.
- In the 1950s and 1960s, stilboestrol was commonly prescribed to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage, but it is now known to cause birth defects and other health problems.