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4 April 2005
Experimental Viagra Treatment Beneficial For Hypertensive Pregnancy 
A study looking at the effects of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) during pregnancy affected by hypertension has found surprisingly positive results on fetal growth and well-being and the mother's uterine circulation. The results of the study, presented at the International Union of Physiological Sciences, may indicate the drug's possible utility in preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Hypertensive pregnancy develops in about 10 percent of women, disrupting normal vascular adaptation. During normal pregnancy, arteries that supply the uterus with blood enlarge, allowing uterine blood flow to increase more than 10-fold in humans, facilitating nourishment of the fetus and ensuring sufficient blood supply to the uterus during labor. Although Viagra didn't actually lower mothers' blood pressure, "it did produce some very significant and beneficial effects on pregnancy-induced vascular adaptation and fetal outcome," according to senior researcher George Osol, of the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Osol said that when the drug was given to pregnant rats with induced hypertension, it; - Helped arteries of the uterus grow as they should during pregnancy.
"Hypertension decreases the growth and alters contractility of blood vessels in the uterus," Osol said, "but giving Viagra reversed these effects, resulting in improved function of the uterine circulation." Arterial diameters of Viagra-treated animals didn't quite match normal values, "but were significantly larger than those with hypertension, suggesting that it may have increased blood flow to the uterus and placenta," Osol added. - Increased fetal weights to normal values, compared with untreated hypertensive offspring whose weights were reduced by more than 20%. "This observation also supports an effect on uterine blood flow since it well known that restriction of uterine blood flow during pregnancy is associated with reduced fetal weight, which is a serious clinical problem," Osol said.
- "Third, and most surprisingly, Viagra completely prevented fetal resorption, or fetal mortality. Whereas 11% (6/52) of fetuses were lost in the hypertensive group, none were lost in the group that received Viagra, even though they were still hypertensive," Osol said.
Osol urged caution on human-use and said that further study is needed to better understand how and why Viagra aids maternal uterine vascular adaptation and fetal health and whether similar benefits will occur in humans. Nevertheless, Osol said the findings being reported "are exciting because they suggest that Viagra may have beneficial effects in hypertensive pregnancy and, possibly, preeclampsia.
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