Is it safe for DES-exposed daughters to use oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy?
Each woman should discuss this important question with her doctor. Although studies have not shown that the use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy are unsafe for DES-exposed daughters, some doctors believe these women should avoid these medications because they contain estrogen. Structural changes in the vagina or cervix should cause no problems with the use of other forms of contraception, such as diaphragms or spermicides. • Do DES-exposed daughters have unusual problems with fertility and pregnancy? Multiple studies have found an increased risk of premature births, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy associated with DES exposure (1). In an analysis of data published in 2000, researchers found that DES daughters were three times more likely to have had premature births and four times more likely to have had a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy than unexposed daughters. Full-term infants were delivered in the first pregnancies of 64.1 percent of exposed women compared
