diethylstilbestrol

Meanings

noundiethylstilbestrol (countable and uncountable, plural diethylstilbestrols, abbreviation DES)

plural diethylstilbestrols · abbreviation DES · alternative UK diethylstilboestrol

countableuncountablechemistryA synthetic estrogen drug C₁₈H₂₀O₂ used formerly to prevent miscarriage or premature delivery in humans and to promote growth in livestock. The medical use of diethystilbestrol was discontinued in the U.S. during the early 1970s due to its association with serious side effects (such as reproductive tract abnormalities and increased rates of infertility) in offspring exposed to the drug while developing in the uterus. It is no longer commercially available in the U.S. and its use is currently limited to specially compounded formulations for veterinary care.
In 1971, yet another such study identified an even more unusual carcinogen, a synthetic hormonal medicine called diethylstilbestrol.
2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 277
Synonyms: stilbestrol

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA synthetic estrogen drug C₁₈H₂₀O₂ used formerly to prevent miscarriage or premature delivery in humans and to promote growth in livestock. The medical use of diethystilbestrol was discontinued in the U.S. during the early 1970s due to its association with serious side effects (such as reproductive tract abnormalities and increased rates of infertility) in offspring exposed to the drug while developing in the uterus. It is no longer commercially available in the U.S. and its use is currently limited to specially compounded formulations for veterinary care.

Similar

stilbestrol