ABSTRACT
Danazol is a synthetically modified androgen derived from ethisterone, and it has androgenic, antigonadotropic, and antiestrogenic properties. It is used therapeutically in the treatment of endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease, and hereditary angioedema. Danazol is available as a prescription drug with the trade name Danocrine®, among others. Effective treatment periods were only after eight gestational weeks, coinciding with the embryological derivation of the external genital structures. There was only a single report mentioning growth retardation, and in approximately one third of the total cases, spontaneous abortion or miscarriage were recorded. However, it is generally considered that these were more probably due to endometriosis, the indication for treatment, rather than to danazol. A publication by Brunskill reviewed most of the cases from the various sources, totaling 129, 94 of which were pregnant, with 24% virilized. Danazol is larger than the average size of human developmental toxicants. It is a hydrophobic compound with lower polarity.
