Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs): Comprehensive Research Trends 1939-2025


October 2025 Comprehensive Update

Scott Kerlin, Ph.D., M.S.
DES International Information & Research Network
DES Research Overview: grad-mentor.com/des-research
Contact: skerlin1@gmail.com

In recent years, my continuing research investigating the human health effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (begun in 1993) has extended to studies focusing beyond the first-generation “DES Mothers” (i.e. mothers who were prescribed DES) and second-generation (i.e. females, “DES Daughters” and males “DES Sons” born to DES-exposed mothers), to third generation “DES granddaughters” and “DES grandsons” and even fourth-generation individuals.

Published research about the history of diethylstilbestrol appeared as early as 1939 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Most of the published research pertaining to the harmful effects of prenatal DES exposure began in the United States during the period of 1970-72 and beginning the mid-1970s in Europe and Australia, leading to a total of 50+ years of documented research in this area. The ever-broadening scope of these publications is a reflection of the widely expanding array of epidemiological evidence that has been gathered, especially during the years of 1990s to the present. DES is recognized as the first endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) (Swan, 2011).


Below is a carefully-organized and extensive overview of principal subject areas of published investigative research focusing on human health, medical and psychological effects of DES exposure and the expanding science of human exposure to endocrine-disruptors (EDCs). Particular emphasis has been placed on the areas of reproductive and breast cancer epidemiology, endocrine health, psychiatric and sexuality/gender-identity effects, medical and psychological diagnosis, treatment and long-term consequences in DES Daughters, DES Sons, and their offspring (i.e. DES Granddaughters and Grandsons).

This guide will be updated on a monthly basis as further related research is identified. Studies of human health effects of DES were primarily published up to the 2010s in the U.S. but there are limited new studies published since 2020. Studies in France continue to be published in 2025.


CONTENTS

There are eight major subject areas of research covered in this directory and a substantial number of subcategories within each. Several separate pages on these topics are linked to the primary DES Research Guide:

>>>Note for readers: Each article in this directory contains a linked title which leads to a summary (abstract) of the scope of the article along with the journal or book in which it is published. In some cases, articles are available in “full-text” format as indicated, and this enables review of the full article. Articles are listed by the year of publication.

2020-2025 Publications