Author: Tara Haelle

Children exposed to a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals during gestation appear to have a greater risk of neurodevelopmental delays, according to a new study published in the journal Science.  Though the authors don’t address DES, their study raises questions about the potential influence of DES on neurodevelopment since DES is among the strongest endocrine-disrupting chemicals.  What makes this study different from previous studies is its emphasis on looking at the potential effects of exposure from mixtures of different EDCs as opposed to a single EDC. Most studies look only at specific chemicals rather than combinations of them. This study…

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Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a drug given to pregnant women in hopes of preventing preterm births (it doesn’t work) was the first synthetic substance proven to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) 50 years ago. EDCs stay in our body and accumulate which increases their effect on us. In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency suggested that if your drinking water had less than 70 parts per trillion of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS, a known type of EDC), you were likely to be safe from its ill effects. However, on June 15, 2022, the EPA lowered that limit dramatically, suggesting that over…

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It’s been 16 years since the first vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was first approved and recommended for females who were ages 9 to 26 years old. The recommendation was limited to females because the vaccine’s original FDA approval was for prevention of genital warts and cervical cancer, since HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, causes more than 90% of all cervical cancer. Once additional studies confirmed other cancers caused by HPV and the viral strains most often responsible, researchers updated the vaccine to protect against…

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Until recently, little was known about the long-term effects of human growth hormones for kids and endocrinologists felt confident there would  be few long-term issues. Today, more experts fear the  potential t risks of treatment—both physical and psychological. Is the worry warranted? Before 2003, parents needed proof of a growth hormone deficiency or a related medical condition to get human growth hormone (HGH) treatments for their children. It was approved for growth hormone deficiency or very specific rare conditions qualified for treatment. Those conditions included chronic renal insufficiency, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, growth hormone or pituitary hormone deficiency or being…

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In a surprise result, a study of a drug designed to lower the risk of premature birth was shown to be no better than a placebo. Update, October 30, 2019 An FDA Advisory Committee met to review Makena (17-α hydroxyprogesterone injection or 17-OHPC) in light of the new post-approval study indicating that Makena is no better than a placebo. The Committee voted 16-0 that there is no substantial evidence that Makena reduces the risk of recurrent preterm birth. The Committee voted 13-3 that the new study did not show a clinical benefit of Makena on the health of infants born…

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Granddaughters have a higher risk of having a preterm birth delivery, irregular menstruation and of going at least six weeks without a period than other women in the population whose mothers were not DES Daughters, found a new study. The findings, published in late December in the journal Reproductive Toxicity, suggest multi-generational effects from DES exposure that scientists have long suspected. DES (diethylstilbestrol) was a medicine given to millions of pregnant women from the 1940s until 1971 when the FDA issued an alert to doctors that DES was contraindicated in pregnancy. It was mistakenly believed to prevent miscarriage but it…

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