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Since the beginning of time, there has been much confusion and mystery surrounding not only the nature of a woman, but also her reproductive cycle. Men often related the fluctuation of moods associated with hormones to hysteria. In 1913, Webster’s dictionary defined Hysteria as; “A nervous affection, occurring almost exclusively in women, in which the emotional and reflex excitability is exaggerated, and the will power correspondingly diminished, so that the patient loses control over the emotions, becomes the victim of imaginary sensations, and often falls into paroxysm or fits”. Even earlier in the 1700’s, menstruation was attributed to a release of impurities that had built up in the body. Once a woman reached menopause and she no longer bled, it was assumed that these impurities remained in her body, began to stagnate and to form clots. This was remedied by the application of leeches to the woman’s genitalia.
All of this may sound rather barbaric, however, our logic with regards to the female reproductive system is still shrouded in mystery and confusion. One specific misconception is the notion of estrogen and hormone replacement therapy. As early as 1925 doctors had begun collecting urine samples from pregnant women and giving them to pharmaceutical companies who began developing synthetic estrogen which was prescribed for just about every female complaint. By 1938 the pharmaceutical companies had come out with Diethylstilbestrol, or DES, which was a synthetic form of estrogen. Initially DES was prescribed to women who were at a higher risk of miscarriage or to enable a woman to carry a child to full term. Approximately 90% of female children born to women who had been prescribed DES were either infertile or had marked abnormalities to their sex organs. The mothers also had a 40% greater risk of breast cancer than those who had not been on the drug. Despite the overwhelming side effects attributed to DES it remained on the market until 1971.
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