DES Action USA
DES ACTION USA
DES ACTION USA. From 1938 to 1971 physicians prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) to pregnant women in an attempt to prevent miscarriages. In 1971 rare cancers in young women were linked to DES, and the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against its use during pregnancy. Later researchers found reproductive problems in the daughters of women who were given DES during their pregnancy. These women and their children founded DES Action USA, a nonprofit consumer group, in 1977. DES Action provides medical and legal information to those who were exposed to DES. In addition, the organization has educated medical and legal professionals to provide effective services, and it has helped to obtain funding from Congress for continuing research.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Orenberg, Cynthia Laitman. DES, the Complete Story. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1981.
Bonnie L. Ford
See also Food and Drug Administration ; Women's Health .