Dimestrol (brand names Depot-Cyren, Depot-Oestromon), also known as dianisylhexene, 4,4'-dimethoxy-α,α'-diethylstilbene, diethylstilbestrol dimethyl ether, and dimethoxydiethylstilbestrol, is a

synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic ...

nonsteroidal estrogen A nonsteroidal estrogen is an estrogen with a nonsteroidal chemical structure. The most well-known example is the stilbestrol estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES). Although nonsteroidal estrogens formerly had an important place in medicine, they ha ...

of the stilbestrol group which is related to

diethylstilbestrol Diethylstilbestrol (DES), also known as stilbestrol or stilboestrol, is a nonsteroidal estrogen medication, which is presently rarely used. In the past, it was widely used for a variety of indications, including pregnancy support for those with ...

. It has been used clinically as a hormonal therapy in cases of delayed female puberty, hypogonadism, menopausal, and postmenopausal symptoms. It is known to induce the development of female

secondary sexual characteristic Secondary sex characteristics are features that appear during puberty in humans, and at sexual maturity in other animals. These characteristics are particularly evident in the sexually dimorphic phenotypic traits that distinguish the sexes of a s ...

s in the case of female

delayed puberty Delayed puberty is when a person lacks or has incomplete development of specific sexual characteristics past the usual age of onset of puberty. The person may have no physical or hormonal signs that puberty has begun. In the United States, girls ...

hypogonadism Hypogonadism means diminished functional activity of the gonads—the testes or the ovaries—that may result in diminished production of sex hormones. Low androgen (e.g., testosterone) levels are referred to as hypoandrogenism and low estroge ...

. The drug has also been used as a growth promoter in

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

. DES is a known endocrine disrupting chemical. Molecularly, it is known to increase the risk of aneuploidy via interference with microtubule assembly. Prior to the 1950s, DES was widely prescribed to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage and preterm labor. A study released in the 1950s found that women who were exposed to DES were at increased risk for cervical and vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma. Shortly after this finding, the FDA discouraged the prescription of DES to pregnant women. Children were also affected by the maternal use of DES during their gestation. Study findings showed that daughters were more likely to develop fertility complications such as premature delivery, neonatal death, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, infertility, and preeclampsia. DES exposed sons may also experience genital abnormalities but no conclusive increased risk of infertility. In the case of suspected or known exposure to DES before, women are encouraged to receive pelvic examinations, PAP tests, biopsies, and breast examinations. Men should receive routine examinations from their physician in the case of suspected or potential exposure. The medication has a long duration of action of 6 weeks given by

intramuscular injection Intramuscular injection, often abbreviated IM, is the injection of a substance into a muscle. In medicine, it is one of several methods for parenteral administration of medications. Intramuscular injection may be preferred because muscles hav ...

References

Abandoned drugs Estrogen ethers Phenols Stilbenoids Synthetic estrogens {{Genito-urinary-drug-stub

See also

References