DES (diethylstilbestrol) is not old news. Many people still need help for health problems caused by a drug used in pregnancy between 1941 and 1971. This is the message in a new outreach campaign by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During DES Awareness Week (May 26 to 31, 2003), DES Action Canada is asking Canadians to participate in the outreach campaign DES Update. Launched by the CDC in 2003, the campaign includes education materials and an interactive Web site to inform the public of the long-term and ongoing health effects of exposure to the drug DES. The Web site includes a self-assessment guide, research updates and practical information for people exposed to DES and the health professionals who care for them.
"If you were born in Canada between 1941 and 1971, or pregnant during the same years, you may have been exposed to the drug DES. Log onto the CDC's DES Update Web site if you want to learn more," says Harriet Simand, president and founder of DES Action Canada. "Thousands of people in Canada are still unaware of their exposure to DES. This Web site provides practical health information from an internationally recognized source of health information."
Simand applauds the CDC for this initiative and acknowledges the efforts of DES Action/ U.S.A. who have kept the issue on the national agenda in the U.S. since 1978.
The U.S. government has funded research on the effects of DES exposure for over 30 years. Since 1992 the U.S. Congress has allocated millions of dollars to the National Cancer Institute specifically to identify and educate DES-exposed Americans still unaware of their exposure. This 5-year funding was renewed in 1998 for another 5 years to continue outreach and education on DES, including the DES Update.
In Canada, no public financing is committed to research on DES exposure or the health problems experienced by Canadians exposed to the drug. DES Action Canada, the only organization alerting Canadians and health professionals to the risks associated with DES, depends on U.S. research and initiatives such as this DES Update campaign to help achieve its mission.
Visit the CDC DES Update website at: www.cdc.gov/DES Update
and visit the DES Action Canada website at: www.web.net/~desact DES Action
Another little known method of exposure to des was a shot given to mothers right after the birth of a baby who was not going to be breastfed.
DES was used as an agent to dry up breast milk. If you remember being given a needle to dry up your milk, you might want to find out what it was.
Posted by: Lisa at May 26, 2003 10:20 AM