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ARTICLE · 20 FEBRUARY 2026

Calls Grow For A Public Inquiry Into DES Scandal

Rothera Bray
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Personal injury lawyers Greg Almond and Karina Patel discuss the growing calls for a public enquiry into the prescribing of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to pregnant women.

United KingdomLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Greg Almond
Greg Almond
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Personal injury lawyers Greg Almond and Karina Patel discuss the growing calls for a public enquiry into the prescribing of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to pregnant women.

What is diethylstilbestrol (DES)?

DES (diethylstilbestrol) is a synthetic hormone prescribed to an estimated 300,000 pregnant women on the NHS between the 1940s and 1980s. Its purpose was to prevent miscarriages and suppress breast milk production. It was also prescribed to women as a treatment to manage menopause symptoms and other gynaecological conditions.

DES is now known to be linked to rare, often fatal cancers – clear cell adenocarcinoma – as well as fertility problems. Effects are being passed on to the children of those who took the drug.

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