The wonder drug?: some New Zealand women talk about their experiences with stilboestrol

Abstract

This thesis analyses some New Zealand women's experiences with Stilboestrol. Stilboestrol (DES) was used between the 1940s and the early 1970s for the prevention of miscarriage. Its use has since been associated with many adverse side effects, involving mothers who took the drug, their children exposed in utero, and now questions surround the possible third generational harm for "DES grandchildren". A history of the drug's use both overseas and within this country is offered, presenting an illustration of the way in which women's health care is constructed in western society. Scientific and medical ideas about women's bodies are examined, identifying the way in which these have been used to justify women's subordination. Women's bodies, and experiences such as motherhood, I argue, have been pathologised as areas in need of medical intervention and treatment. Using a socialist feminist analysis, this thesis explores themes such as medicalisation, capitalist health care and patriarchal medicine. Semi-structured interviews are used to examine how seventeen women feel about their exposure, and how this has affected their lives. Of particular significance is the way in which women come to identify and interpret their experiences and the way in which this has affected their perception of the health care system. The research makes several recommendations for future health care, advocating the establishment of greater information and services for both those exposed to the drug and their health providers.