Daughters of pregnant women who took DES (diethylstilbestrol) between 1941 and 1971 are more likely to experience difficulties conceiving and carrying out a pregnancy. DES apparently alters the structure of fetal reproductive organs, leading to numerous problems later in life. A recent study links DES exposure to pregnancy complications such as miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies in daughters of women who took DES while pregnant.

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine studied DES, which was originally introduced to prevent miscarriages and given to more than 2 million American women. At the time, researchers were unaware that DES could cause deformities in the reproductive organs of fetuses.

Women exposed to DES before birth may have difficulty becoming pregnant. According to study statistics, DES-exposed women were nearly eight times more likely to experience difficulty conceiving.