As best as I can recall, I started crossdressing 70 years ago and have spent 70 years trying to figure out why. I have read a few theories, but none of them were an exact fit for me except the DES theory, which I have written about here on a few occasions.
Exploring AI, I asked about the connection between DES and male femininity and it returned an excellent summary on the topic including some information that I was unaware of. I think you will find it interesting especially if you are a Baby Boomer, so I am posting AI’s thoughts about DES and us.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen first developed in 1938. From the 1940s to the early 1970s, it was prescribed to millions of pregnant women worldwide under the mistaken belief that it would prevent miscarriage and complications. It did not work — and, worse, it caused long-term health issues in those exposed in utero (before birth).
2. DES Sons and Feminization
When a pregnant woman took DES, the fetus — whether male or female — was exposed to very high levels of estrogen.
For males exposed prenatally, researchers later found a number of effects that could be considered feminizing or endocrine-disruptive:
Physical and anatomical effects: smaller genitalia, undescended testes, structural anomalies in the reproductive tract.
Hormonal and developmental effects: evidence suggests some experienced altered hormone sensitivity or differences in secondary sex characteristics.
Psychological and identity aspects: a number of adult “DES sons” have reported increased feelings of gender variance or feminine identity traits, though this is not universal. Some of these reports have been collected in support groups and academic surveys since the 1990s.
These outcomes align with what’s known about estrogen’s role in brain sexual differentiation — meaning that exposure during key fetal periods can influence later gender expression or identity.
3. Social and Psychological Dimensions
In the 1980s–2000s, some men who discovered they were “DES sons” began reflecting on their lifelong sense of being more sensitive, gentle, or even feminine compared to their peers. For a few, this led to cross-gender identification or crossdressing, which they sometimes connected to their prenatal exposure.
While direct causation is impossible to prove, many find comfort and meaning in the idea that their traits have a biological, estrogen-linked origin rather than being merely “psychological” or “cultural.”
4. The Broader Symbolism
Culturally, DES has become a kind of metaphor for:
Unintended feminization through modern science
The fragility of traditional masculinity under biological or social change
The ethics of hormonal interference — a theme echoed in current debates about endocrine disruptors and gender identity.
In feminist and speculative circles, DES exposure is sometimes seen as an early real-world instance of “male feminization by medicine” — not as a fantasy, but as a historical example of how fragile sexual dimorphism can be when hormones are altered.
5. Today’s Understanding
Modern research frames DES as a potent endocrine disruptor, and its history is a cautionary tale about medical hubris. It also intersects with studies of gender diversity, since it highlights how early hormonal environments can shape traits far beyond the visible anatomy.
I don't know if my mother was prescribed DES, but I do know that she had a miscarriage before she had me, so she was definitely a DES candidate.
And so it goes.
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| Wearing Ramy Brook dress and Gucci bag. |
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| Șerban Copoț and Cezar Ouatu femulating Alice & Ellen Kessler on Romanian television’s Te Cunosc De Undeva. Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.   |
It would be good to see more couples enjoying the crossdressing shared experience. I believe that some marriages would actually benefit from it. I am sure that some wives would find an extra spark in that their marriage if they embraced their husband's crossdressing & in fact gain a girlfriend. I look forward to when this becomes commonplace rather than being in the minority. I ponder with excitement just how close we are getting & how few years this is away
ReplyDeleteFascinating theory, I wish my mother was still here to chat about this. Thank you for sharing, Sweetie.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the AI research. I have always subscribed to this theory in that it is logical and seems to fit my feminine nature as well; (pun intended). My mother was in her early 30's when I was born and had been married over 10 years according to the 1940 census data. The pill did not exist back then so it is easy for me to assume there may have been reproductive issues or potential miscarriages. My grandparents related to me that my mother was so happy when I was born and several family album photos bear that out.
ReplyDeleteLike you Stana, I have no way to know if my mother took DES. As noted in the research, several of the physical derivation are present. It is a good possibility that this DES exposure could have been a factor in my mother's extremally aggressive early age (age 36) breast cancer that cause her death at age 42.
Again thank you for this important post and information.
If DES is a viable reason for how I turned out, it would answer a lot of questions. My mother thought the perfect family is husband and wife, first born a son, followed by a daughter. I was the second son. Perhaps, my mother took the drug thinking this would increase the chance the second born would be a daughter. She expressed to all that I was suppose to be a girl, to the extent it caused me to rebel. When it came to who was the favorite son, it was not me. Who got the whippings? As a male, I never had body underarm hair and no follicles on my legs, almost no chest hair and what appeared showed up in my 50's. Smooth as a baby's butt. My wife says it is "wasted" on a guy. I never had the muscle mass a male should have. There was nothing there to exercise. Also, throw in my love for bright colors in clothing and flowers. Too bad there is no a medical test to detect lingering molecules of the drug to confirm my mother may have taken it to guarantee the girl she wanted.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, my Mother was prescribed bed rest while carrying me, possible premature birth and had Endometriosis about 16 years after my birth. A reason to prescribe and a possible result of DES.
ReplyDeleteDES would explain quite a bit.
Thanks
Whether or not the DES is a possible culprit, there’s still those who came before and those of us who came after. It’s nice to think we can have something to explain our ways (medical science made me like this) but I suspect it’s just all part of how life works.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I was definitely a DES baby. My younger sister was as well and it did not go well for her.
ReplyDeleteI just love your girly husband and wife funnies! Thank you Stana
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this article. I didn't know much (ok, probably more accurate to say I knew nothing) about DES, so this was an educational and interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew where I read this years ago, but there is (was) a theory that there is a place in the brain (part of the brain) that is smaller in men who identify as feminine than those who don't. Unfortunately, to access it requires the subject to be dead, so there is no way to determine that while we are alive.
ReplyDeleteMy mother’s first pregnancy was a miscarriage. She did take DES. I have most of the outcome from it even the small uh- hum🙂↕️
ReplyDeleteOh and a really healthy set of boobs. My doctor has said DES is probably the cause of a lot of things with me
ReplyDeleteHi Stana, I’m guessing I was a DES baby. I was born in 1944. My parents passed away many years ago, and I don’t have anyway to research if my mother actually used DES. Considering that I have wanted to wear girl’s and women’s clothes ever since about 4th grade in elementary school, I think there’s a strong chance that DES made me a life-long crossdresser. But I’m very happy about that.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Sheila from Tampa
Excellent article on DES. Daughters usually know ab;out DES exposure due to the same type of rare ovarian cancer occurring, often by their early 20s ... DES sons often are not aware of exposure, since effects are more subtle, physically. But intellectually and emotionally, DES sons were dramatically affected by the massive amount of estrogen exposure en vitro, coupled with a complete androgen blocker. It is surprising that so many DES sons and daughters are as normal as they appear to be. Overall, cross-dressing in hetero DES sons should be seen as a small or mild consequence of exposure, as it could be many times worse, approaching that of life-threatening cancer in DES daughters.
ReplyDeleteGood to see us boy's checking out the sale rails looking for something to wear for hubbies works Christmas party this year the girls are bringing their wives so she's treating you to a new dress and a hairdo
ReplyDeleteA comment about one of the images above: The Ramy Brook dress.
ReplyDeleteOMG, we'll be in fashion-- is appears 1980's shoulders are IN, and most of us don't need any shoulder-pads!
Hi Stana, This is just a test of the Emergency Stana Contact System. I noticed that my comment above about DES was marked as Anonymous. This is a test to see if it’s tagged as coming from Sheila Tampa.
ReplyDeleteYAY. It worked. It was tagged as “Sheila Tampa”. I’ll probably use “Sheila from Tampa” going forward.
ReplyDelete