ABSTRACT
The Distilbène® story is a dramatic episode which belongs to the history of medicine. It provided several useful lessons such as the importance of evidence-based medicine and the hazard to develop treatments during pregnancy without careful animal verifications. However, this experience has also provided unexpected progress by suggesting new pathophysiological concepts: fetal programming of adult diseases and/or transgenerational transmission of environmental effects through epigenetic modifications.
Subject(s)
Diethylstilbestrol/adverse effects , Diethylstilbestrol/history , Estrogens, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects , Estrogens, Non-Steroidal/history , Adult , Drug Prescriptions , Epigenesis, Genetic/drug effects , Female , History, 20th Century , Humans , Pregnancy , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/history , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/pathologySubject(s)
Diethylstilbestrol/history , Estrogens, Non-Steroidal/history , Animals , Female , History, 20th Century , HumansABSTRACT
Over the course of the 20th century, physicians had a variety of hormonal treatments to offer their menopausal patients. This paper traces the development and deployment of these therapies, which ranged from desiccated ewe ovary to the modern estrogen replacement therapy. In addition, this paper demonstrates that women often medicated themselves at menopause, turning perhaps to Lydia Pinkham's vegetable tonic or the more modern Change-O-Life elixir. Finally, this paper discusses the larger societal approaches to eliminating menopausal symptoms.
