PatientApproach to identifying DES exposure, and subsequent actions
Woman who may have taken DES during pregnancy*Questions: Have you ever had a miscarriage? More than one miscarriage? Did you take any prescription medicines while you were pregnant? If so, what medicine and for what reason?
Actions: If the patient is not sure about the medications that she took, try to obtain her obstetric records. If DES exposure is documented or surmised from the history, counsel all of the patient’s offspring.
Daughter or son who may have been exposed to DES in utero†Questions: Did your mother have one or more miscarriages? Did your mother take any prescription medicines while she was pregnant with you?
Actions: If the patient has reproductive tract anomalies consistent with those seen in DES-exposed offspring, attempt to obtain the mother’s obstetric records. If the records cannot be obtained, consider the patient to have been exposed to DES.