Thanks Paul, I've seen this before, and it is fascinating research. The cattle industry used DES for years during that same time frame, longer in Europe. Plus the initial exposure would have to be extremely high. Daughters exposed to DES are at additional cancer risks, so who knows, see the links. But if you served in the military we have no idea what was included in those inoculations given at boot-camp.
APPENDIX
DES Sons International Network 5-Year Summary Statistics
Online Study Dates: July 1999 to July 2004
Statistics on DES Sons Participating in the DES Sons International Network Between 1999 and 2004
(a) # of individuals requesting membership on DES Sons network listserv
(b) # of individuals (after initial screening) with confirmed or “suspected” prenatal DES exposure who were allowed to join DES sons network
© % of (b) who confirmed prenatal DES exposure
(d) % of (b) with “suspected” but unconfirmed prenatal DES exposure
(e) % of (b) with direct access to mother’s medical records
Totals 600+
> 500
60% 40%
Unknown
In the five years since formation of the DES Sons network in July 1999, approximately 600 individuals requested information or support through e-mail follow-up requests and/or requests to join the network. This is over and above all information that is freely available for visitors to the Network’s web site (
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/des-sons) which provides substantial information and resources on DES without subscription. Because the DES Sons International network does not maintain statistics on total Internet traffic to its web site, there is no accurate method to gauge how many other affected individuals may be utilizing this information.
Of the 600 individuals who have sought further DES information, approximately 500 indicated at the time of my initial screening that they had either actual confirmation (from mother, or direct access to medical records) or strong suspicions (based on unconfirmed information from other family members) that they had been exposed to DES in utero. These 500 individuals with confirmed or suspected prenatal DES exposure were members of the network sometime between 1999 and 2004.
DES Sons Reported Health and Medical Concerns: Frequency of Reporting1
(a) Number of DES sons (confirmed exposure) participating in the online study between 1999 and 2004
(b) Number of individual males with “suspected but unconfirmed” prenatal DES exposure participating in study
© Numbers of DES sons (confirmed and suspected) reporting various health and medical concerns (percentages are of confirmed and suspected exposure):
Gender Dysphoria or Gender Identity Concerns
Major depression and/or anxiety disorders
Hypogonadism or other hormone-related disorders
Infertility
Testicular Cancer
Totals % of Total 300 60 %
200 40 %
150+ 30 % 100+ 20 % 75 15 %
30 6 % 7 1.4 %
Based on health history summaries received by the DES sons network between 1999 and 2004 from individuals with confirmed and suspected DES exposure, the three areas of greatest health concern among DES sons in the network appear to be (a) gender identity disturbances; (b) psychological/mental health issues including anxiety and depression; and © hormonal/endocrine health issues, especially hypogonadism. More than 150 members (all individuals who were born male) described histories of significant feelings of gender discomfort, and more than 90 identified as male-to- female transsexuals. More than 100 members described lifetime experiences with depression and/or anxiety disorders.
Somewhat lower proportions of members indicated concerns regarding autoimmune disorders, infertility, reproductive tract abnormalities, ambiguous or underdeveloped genitalia, epididymal cysts, testicular cancer, and erectile dysfunction. Because not every individual member has necessarily disclosed the full range of health issues or medical concerns by which he or she has been affected, the relative significance of reported health concerns among DES sons in this research study is an approximation, based on preliminary textual analysis of information which has freely volunteered by network members.
III. Statistics of Prevalence of Transsexualism, Transgenderism, Gender Dysphoria, or Intersex Among “Confirmed” and “Suspected” DES Exposed Individuals (N=158)
Among the population of DES sons joining the network who have discussed a history of gender identity concerns, personal stories and/or introductions have been received from more than 150 individuals with either confirmed or “strongly suspected” DES exposure.
Responses were received from at least 93 individuals with confirmed prenatal DES exposure who self-identify as either transsexual (male-to-female), transgendered (male-to-female), “gender dysphoric,” or intersex. The distribution of these 93 individuals is as follows:
Confirmed DES-Exposed and Gender-Related Issues (N=93)
(1) Confirmed Exposed and Transsexual:
(2) Confirmed Exposed and Transgender:
(3) Confirmed Exposed and Gender Dysphoric:
(4) Confirmed Exposed and Intersex:
54 individuals 26 individuals 10 individuals 3 individuals
3. There have been at least 65 individuals with “strongly suspected but not yet confirmed” exposure who indicated they are either either transsexual (male-to- female), transgendered (male-to-female), “gender dysphoric,” or intersex. The distribution of these 65 individuals is as follows:
Strongly suspected, not confirmed DES Exposed and Gender-Related Issues (N=65)
(1) Suspected Exposure and Transsexual:
(2) Suspected Exposure and Transgender:
(3) Suspected Exposure and Gender Dysphoric: (4) Suspected Exposure and Intersex
36 individuals 22 individuals 7 individuals none reported
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercause...s-exposure
https://www.desfollowupstudy.org/index.asp
