Love Island star links fertility issues to pregnancy drug taken by his grandmother

A former Love Island contestant has become the first man to speak out about health issues that he believes were caused by a cancer-linked pregnancy drug taken by his grandmother in the 1970s.

Maxwell Samuda, who appeared on the ninth series of the ITV show, believes issues with his reproductive system stem from exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES).

DES is a synthetic form of the female hormone oestrogen given to women from the 1940s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriage, suppress breast milk production and treat symptoms of menopause.

His mother, Natalie Samuda, 50, and grandmother, Maureen Day, 78, also believe their health problems, which include breast cancer and autoimmune conditions, are linked to the drug.

The 26-year-old has backed calls for a full public inquiry, describing the situation as a “scandal”.

According to the campaign group DES Justice UK (DJUK), it was given to about 300,000 women, leading to infertility, reproductive abnormalities and increased risk of cancer.

The drug was linked to a cancer of the cervix and vagina – clear cell adenocarcinoma – in 1971, prompting US regulators to call for it not to be given to pregnant women. However, it continued to be prescribed in Europe until the late 70s.

DES is also linked to other cancers such as breast, pancreatic and cervical.

Mrs Day, from Herne Bay in Kent, believes she took DES in 1972 and 1973.

She already had one daughter – Ms Samuda’s older sister – and took the drug during her second pregnancy to prevent miscarriage.

After her son was born prematurely and passed away, she took the drug again to stop breast milk production.

Mrs Day was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.

Ms Samuda had pre-cancerous cells removed from her cervix at the age of 25, had her fallopian tubes removed because of fluid, and had a full hysterectomy last year. She also suffers from multiple autoimmune conditions.

Meanwhile, Mr Samuda required surgery as a baby for undescended testes, where one or both testicles fail to move into the scrotum before birth.

Five years ago, he found a benign lump on his scrotum and was told by medics that he has varicocele, enlarged veins in his scrotum.

A semen analysis also revealed he has a low sperm count.

Mr Samuda, who works in finance and now lives in Dubai with his mother, said: “I do a lot to keep myself in shape, to keep myself fit and healthy. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke.

“Having a family is something that I’m really keen on doing one day, if I get the opportunity.

“Being told that you might potentially have issues with that – something I’ve always taken for granted in my head – I all of a sudden thought, ‘oh, I’m not actually guaranteed that’… it’s definitely an unsettling feeling.

“And it can be very frustrating to know that it’s off the back of something that happened 50-odd years ago that I had no control over.”

The family are now backing DJUK’s call for a public inquiry and a compensation scheme for those impacted by DES.

Ms Samuda, a former midwife, said her older sister has experienced no health problems.

“Coming from a healthcare background myself, it needs a full inquiry to understand how, what, why and when, to ensure that this can’t happen again. So many people’s lives have been affected,” she said.

“I’ve literally had, with all the autoimmune issues, eight to nine years of really feeling unwell almost on a daily basis.

“And constant treatments, medications, appointments, surgeries; it’s had a really big impact on my day-to-day life.”

Mr Samuda said he is speaking out on the issue as there is “no shame or nothing to hide” when it comes to his health.

“When it comes to men, sometimes it can be a habit of just keeping issues to yourself and overlooking certain things,” he said.

“The main thing that I would want men to take away from this situation is that when there is something that you spot, get it looked at straight away.

“There’s no reason to hide or to not feel comfortable about what it is that you’re experiencing, especially when it comes to things like our reproductive system.

“It can be quite a touchy subject for men. But I think when it comes to something like this, where it is such a big scandal, where so many people have been affected, I think people do need to come together to really vocalise how it has impacted them.”

Mrs Day added: “We always wondered why my eldest daughter never had any health problems, but Natalie did.

“I didn’t realise that it had that impact until I saw coverage of DES on the news. For it to have affected Natalie and Maxwell is extremely upsetting. We also don’t know if it will impact Maxwell’s children if he is able to have them in the future.

“I wish I had never taken it and the fact that so many women were allowed to is disgusting.

“I want justice for all of us and compensation for everybody affected.”

DJUK now has more than 500 members and met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting last month as part of a push to get a public inquiry into what it describes as a “silent scandal”.

It also wants an NHS screening programme to identify those who may be at risk following DES exposure.

Clare Fletcher, partner at Broudie Jackson Canter, which represents DJUK, said: “The story of Maureen, Natalie and Maxwell is a tragic but all too familiar one which shows that this isn’t a historic injustice, but one that is affecting lives today.

“So many families have had their lives blighted and devastated because they trusted doctors and the government.”

Compensation schemes have been set up for DES victims in the US and the Netherlands, but the UK does not have one.