Viagra Might Help Pregnant Women with Rare Condition

You have probably heard that Viagra, the popular drug to treat male impotence, works well at growing an erection. But it may soon be used to promote proper growth of a baby in uterine.

When a woman is pregnant, she may worry about her baby being too big for a normal, event-free delivery. But if a baby is too small, there is a tremendous reason for concern. When the placenta fails to supply enough oxygen and nutrients to the baby – Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) occurs – preventing a baby from developing properly in the womb. Essentially the baby fails to grow at the expected rate during the pregnancy.

But, researchers from the University of British Columbia believe increasing blood flow and nutrients to the placenta may cure this rare condition among pregnant women, and they are looking at Viagra as the possible treatment.

Groundbreaking Research to Help Babies Grow

Scientists will soon be conducting clinical trials to investigate if Viagra is effective in treating IURG. If found to be successful, the therapy could mitigate numerous risks that accompany the condition and allow woman with IUGR to carry their babies to full-term.

What are the risks to the baby?

• increased likelihood of C-section delivery
• problems with breathing and feeding
• trouble maintaining body temperature
• abnormal blood cell counts
• low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia)
• decreased ability to fight infection
• neurological problems
• increased likelihood of stillbirth (dying in the womb before birth)

This latest research is welcomed by physicians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies, because there really are no reliable treatments currently available. If severe, the condition can lead to premature delivery or stillbirth and the common treatment as of now depends on how far along a woman is in the pregnancy:

• After 34 weeks – induce right away
• Before 34 weeks, monitor development and see how long a mother can carry the baby without the risk of stillbirth. Then induce if the baby’s survival is threatened.

So, despite ongoing research, the optimal treatment for IUGR, as of now, remains problematic.  

Not the First Time Research Looks to Viagra 

Those in the medical field understand that drugs like Viagra are known to have beneficial effects that go beyond treatment of erectile function, and include the function of the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels.

Essentially, the science behind Viagra, which remains the number one drug prescribed by doctors for the treatment of ED, has been used before to help patients who suffer other conditions related to or improved by, proper blood flow and the relaxation of vessels within the body.

Most recently, Viagra was credited with saving the life of a pregnant woman, who suffers from pulmonary arterial hypertension. In 2013, Laura Ling, of London, England, developed severe swelling in her ankles, tremendous breathlessness, and an extremely rapid heartbeat at just 23 weeks pregnant.  Doctors, feared for her life and advised her to abort her pregnancy. She refused and was put under the care of specialists, who then tried a treatment plan of giving her Viagra, which went to work on her critical condition by expanding her arteries and easing her blood flow issues.

The woman successfully made it through the pregnancy and three months later, gave birth to a healthy daughter. She continues to take Viagra to treat her incurable condition of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Viagra Wasn’t Developed Specifically for Men

Sorry to tell you, but Viagra was not developed with men and their erections in mind. Viagra, created by Pfizer Inc., was actually first produced as a potential treatment for cardiovascular conditions in patients. That’s right, it was developed to increase blood flow – a common issue in a number of health conditions. 

Drugdatabase.com states that the makers of Viagra did not even have an erectile dysfunction medication in mind when they created the little blue pill. But, as they searched to find a drug that could expand blood vessels and assist in the treatment of angina, a heart condition where the vessels supplying the heart with blood become constricted, they discovered that male test subjects developed erections that lasted several hours. 

At the time, other scientists were coming to the conclusion that erectile dysfunction was caused by narrowing of blood vessels and resulting in the inability of blood to flow quickly to the penis. 

So, Viagra’s (Sildenafil) purpose for Pfizer shifted and it was approved in the late 1990s by the FDA as the very first of its kind drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

But at the base of its history there is this: All of Pfizer’s research was based upon the work of Nobel Prize-winning pharmacologist, Louis Ignarro, who won the Nobel Prize in 1998 for uncovered the numerous benefits of nitric oxide and its positive impact on blood vessels and circulation. So, the fact that it may help increase blood flow to the placenta of a developing baby is not surprising.

Let the New Studies Begin

The clinical trials of Viagra to treat IURG is a new, global co-operative type research program. A total of five other countries will work with UBC, including New Zealand and the United Kingdom, to conduct research and then compile all the data together for more concise findings.

UBC’s trial was approved by Health Canada in February and researchers are presently seeking trial participants to participate from across the country. But there have already been isolated studies that support the belief that Viagra can effectively treat this condition. 

One study published by the National Institutes of Health, stated that Sildenafil, used to increase blood flow throughout the body, has emerged as a potential management option in the treatment of Intra Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) and preeclampsia.

So, it appears that in the future, Viagra may be used to treat many more conditions beyond male impotence and the patients that benefit may be male or female – and perhaps those yet to born.