TY - BOOK ID - 135459576 TI - DES daughters : embodied knowledge, and the transformation of women's health politics PY - 2009 SN - 9781592139200 9781592139187 PB - Philadelphia Temple University Press DB - UniCat KW - Feminism - Health aspects KW - Feminism -- Health aspects KW - DES-exposed daughters KW - Women's health services KW - Medical policy KW - Feminism KW - Health Policy KW - Women's Health Services KW - Diethylstilbestrol KW - Humanism KW - Public Policy KW - Stilbenes KW - Health Services KW - Social Control Policies KW - Health Care Facilities, Manpower, and Services KW - Ethics KW - Benzylidene Compounds KW - Policy KW - Social Control, Formal KW - Philosophy KW - Health Care KW - Humanities KW - Benzene Derivatives KW - Sociology KW - Social Sciences KW - Hydrocarbons, Aromatic KW - Health Care Economics and Organizations KW - Hydrocarbons, Cyclic KW - Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena KW - Hydrocarbons KW - Organic Chemicals KW - Chemicals and Drugs KW - Health aspects UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:135459576 AB - From the 1940s to the 1970s, millions of women were exposed prenatally to the synthetic estrogen DES, a "wonder drug" intended to prevent miscarriages. However, DES actually had damaging consequences for the women born from DES mothers. The "DES daughters" as they are known, were found to have a rare form of vaginal cancer or were infertile. They were also at risk for miscarriages, stillbirths, and ectopic pregnancies. In DES Daughters, Susan Bell recounts the experiences of this generation of "victims." In moving, heartfelt narratives, she presents the voices of those women who developed cancer, those who were cancer-free but have concerns about becoming pregnant, and those who suffered other medical and/or reproductive difficulties. Bell examines the hierarchy of knowledge and power of scientists, doctors, and daughters, tracing the emergence of a feminist health movement. The "embodied knowledge" of these DES daughters prompted them to become advocates and form a social movement that challenged reproductive medical knowledge specifically, but also the politics of women's health in general. Bell's important book chronicles the history and future of these grassroots activists born out of illness, suffering, and uncertainty. ER -