Male genitourinary abnormalities and maternal diethylstilbestrol.

In view of the risk of vaginal cancer developing in young female subjects exposed in utero to maternally ingested diethylstilbestrol a pilot study was undertaken of male subjects similarly exposed. A healthy questionnaire was mailed to 306 male subjects whose mothers were known to have taken diethylstilbestrol in the early part of their pregnancies and to 231 age and sex-matched controls identified from the same record source. Although there was no increased history of cancer, heart disease or asthma when the groups were compared there was a higher incidence of reported urinary tract symptoms and genital abnormalities in the group exposed to diethylstilbestrol. The presence of these abnormalities was confirmed by physical examination of 15 respondents. Studies in experimental animals also have shown that in certain species maternally ingested stilbestrol may result in abnormalities of the genitaltensive clinical studies be undertaken to determine the level of risk, if any, to which many thousands of young men are subject.