[Transplacental administration of diethylstilbestrol in the rat. I. Apropos of the fertility of its offspring].

To determine the effects of transplacental exposure to diethylstilboestrol (DES) on the fertility of the offsprings, timed pregnant Sprague Dawley OFA rats were treated with DES (10, 20, 50 and 100 micrograms/kg/d, subcutaneous) on days 10 to 18 of gestation (long time) or days 13 to 18 of gestation (short time). Only the lowest dosed groups (10 micrograms/kg/d, short and long times, and 20 micrograms/kg/d, short time) gave birth to living offsprings. The fertility of the male and female offsprings was determined postnatally by a breeding technique and appeared to be strongly decreased among females of all groups (70 to 100% of sterility) and moderately among males (11 to 18% of pathological fecundity). Fertility of offspring of these rats with pathological fecundity appeared to be normal.