DES Daughters and Abnormal Pap Smears

A pamphlet prepared by the Vancouver Women's Health Collective (VWHC), which details the association of abnormal pap smears and DES daughters (women who have been exposed to Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero), with fears of higher rates of cervical cancer. The pamphlet suggests that while DES daughters have higher rates of abnormal Pap smears than women not exposed to DES, there is no evidence to suggest that DES daughters are at a higher risk of developing squamous cell cancer of the cervix. The pamphlet points to errors in diagnosis of abnormal Pap smears, resulting in a high number of mis-diagnoses of dysplasia (abnormal cell growth which may progress to cancer), when DES daughters experience normal cell changes as a result of exposure which may look like dysplasia but are not, in fact, a sign of potentially-cancerous cells. The pamphlet warns against treatment for abnormal Pap smears for DES daughters, since research indicates that cryosurgery and cone biopsies can create complications in healing and may lead to cervical stenosis, which can cause pain and infertility, in DES daughters.