Urologic examination of 48 male patients exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol showed genital abnormalities in 29. Only 33 per cent of the patients studied had normal semen analyses by Eliasson scoring. Genital abnormalities demonstrated included varicoceles, epididymal cysts, hypoplastic testes and undescended testes among others. None of the patients had elevations of alpha-fetoprotein or beta-subunit human chorionic gonadotropin. The high incidence of the aforementioned abnormalities suggests that all male patients exposed to diethylstilbestrol should undergo urologic examination and semen analysis. Additionally, a history of diethylstilbestrol exposure should be sought in all patients with apparent idiopathic infertility.
PIP: 48 male patients exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES) were studied urologically, retrospectively, to determine residual complications. 29 of the 48 males had genital abnormalities when examined. In addition, only 33% of these patients had normal seman analyses (by the Eliasson scoring method). Other parameters measured included levels of alpha-fetoprotein and beta-subunit human chorionic gonadotropin, but none of the subjects had elevations of these compounds. Genital abnormalities discovered on examination included varicoceles, epididymal cysts, hypoplastic testes, and undescended testes. This high incidence of genital abnormalities and semen deficiency suggests that males as well as female patients exposed in utero to DES should be given periodic examinations for genital abnormalities. As an obvious corollary, histories of DES should be solicited from all patients in urology practices.