DES Daughters

[ang927]

I'm going through my second pregnancy loss and in speaking with my mother last night she suggested I talk to my daughter about the fact that I was a DES baby.  

Has anybody else had intrauterine exposure to DES?  wht has your history (gyno) been like?  

[scripps]

Dear Sheri,
I just saw your post, and like you, I am a DES daughter.  I have had two in vitro attempts, both complete failures despite excellent embryo quality.  I am beginning to wonder if my endometrium has problems.  My uterus is a bit smaller, but slight reduction in size doesn't explain the lack of implantation.  I am wondering if I might need more hormonal support.  The clinic I use doesn't tailor treatments to individual needs-my DES exposure has never figured in their calculations.  I was hoping you wouldn't mind telling me what sort of hormonal support you got--any additional estrogen (they just give me patches, one every 4 days) or progesterone (I get daily suppositories).  Is there anything else they give you to bolster the uterus, such as LH drugs like Luveris?  I hope you don't mind all the questions, but I live in France, and the treatment is impersonal, so I feel I have to do my own research.
Many thanks.

[Sheri1972]

I am a DES baby, and 36 years old.  I am currently pregnant with my second.  Women of DES mothers can have incompetent cervix, which causes miscarriages.  My cervix is also shaped sort of odd, like takes a 90 degree turn or something, so when they did IUI on me, they always had to use a tenaculum (aka.. MEAT HOOK!) to get the catheter threaded through.

Your doctor can carefully monitor your cervical length throughout your pregnancy and perform cerclage if needed to prevent a miscarriage.

I am being monitored once every 3 weeks for cervical length because of the DES exposure.  I always had to do fertility treatments, but I'm not sure if that is really linked to the DES.  I didn't have trouble with incompetent cervix with the first, and so far, no problems with the second! :)

Sheri

[secondwind]

I don't know if I had DES exposure, but I was born at the right time when it was commonly used.  I am 47 years old and have had infertility troubles all my life.  I have never been pregnant.  I have an oddly shaped cervix, which is a symptom of DES exposure.  Other than that, I can't say whether my troubles were caused by DES or not.  I know of a law firm that will help you if you are having DES side effects.