DES

DES, diethylstilbestrol - marketed under a number of names including Stilbestrol, Stilbetin, and Dienestrol - was widely prescribed, from 1938 to 1971, to expectant mothers under the assumption that DES promoted healthy pregnancies by lowering the chances of miscarriage and premature labor.

In 1971, it was discovered that females exposed to DES, while still in the womb, ran an increased risk for developing a rare form of vaginal and cervical cancer, known as Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma, in their teens and twenties. Several years later it was discovered that menopausal and post-menopausal women had an increase risk of developing DES related cancers. In 1971, the FDA banned DES. And fortunately, the risk of developing cancer, stemming from the use of DES, is limited to one in a thousand.

Risks Associated with DES to Exposed Women

The greater and more pervasive risks than contracting a DES related cancer are Reproductive Tract Abnormalities and High-Risk Pregnancies.

Uterine, cervical, and fallopian tube abnormalities - cervical hood, T-shape uterus, clubbed & obstructed tubes - lead and contribute to:

• Infertility;
• Inability to Carry-to-Term;
• Miscarriage;
• Stillbirth;
• Premature Delivery;
• Ectopic Pregnancy;
• Hysterectomy.

If you were exposed to DES in utero, because your mother took DES while pregnant, and suffer from any of these symptoms and conditions, you may be entitled to compensation. Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP has obtained substantial recoveries for women who were rendered infertile because of their exposure to DES.

Taking legal action against a drug manufacturer for injuries caused by pharmaceuticals, the usual standards of product liability apply: strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty. If a physician's conduct is to blame, a medical malpractice suit may be justified.

To successfully prosecute a DES case, you need a law firm with skill, knowledge, and the resources to win.

For more information, please call 212.605.6200 or submit a confidential email inquiry (see form above).