Doctor reports three pregnancies in infertile women after using Viagra

March 23, 2000
Web posted at: 9:14 p.m. EST (0214 GMT)

By Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- In a small study, three of four previously infertile women who used the drug Viagra became pregnant.

But the doctor who did the study, Dr. Geoffrey Sher, said women should not grab their husband's Viagra expecting it to cure the most common infertility problems.

Rene Danford tried for two years to get pregnant and had even been told to give up on the possibility, before Sher started her on Viagra.

VIDEO CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports on infertile women becoming pregnant using Viagra. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Viagra fertility

"When it actually worked, and the nurse called and said, 'Honey, you're pregnant.' and I said, 'No, I'm not,' and she said, 'Yes you are.'"

Her 4-month-old son Michael is believed to be the first baby born because his mother took the popular impotency drug.

The women who took Viagra had thin uterine linings, which prevented a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus and developing. Viagra works in men by increasing blood flow to the penis, and it's theorized that Viagra worked in these three women by increasing blood flow to the uterus, thus making the lining thicker, allowing better chances for implantation.

While many fertility experts are excited that Viagra might be able to help some infertile women, they warn that the drug could cause damage to the mother and the developing fetus.

Experts say even if more research shows promise in using Viagra, it would have limited application since only a small percentage of infertile women have this particular problem. While an exact number is not known, Dr. Jamie Grifo, the director of the fertility clinic at New York University Medical Center, says out of every 1,000 women who are treated at his center, only three or four have lining problems.

Some doctors interviewed by CNN said they would not try Viagra because it's untested in pregnant women. Viagra has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for men only.

In a statement, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine said: "There are risks to Viagra use. Known side effects for women include high levels of nitric oxide in the womb, which can be both dangerous for the mother and toxic to developing embryos."

But Sher, the Las Vegas doctor who did the study, said he was not concerned that Viagra could harm the baby, since he had the mothers stop using it a week before he implanted the embryo.

Sher said the study was designed to see if Viagra would increase blood flow and lead to a thicker uterine lining. But he was not surprised that three pregnancies resulted. He also advised further study before Viagra is considered a fertility treatment.

"If used correctly, the way I've described, it cannot harm the embryo or the baby. What's there to lose, for somebody who's desperate?" he said.

But Dr. Jennifer Berman, an expert on women and Viagra at the Boston University Medical Center, said it's unknown whether Viagra could still have an effect even if discontinued seven days before implantation.

She said Sher is using Viagra in a new way: He had it ground up and made into a vaginal suppository which the women inserted four times a day. Sher warned that Viagra must be taken very carefully, and that taking it orally won't help at all and could cause harm.

"I'm deeply concerned people are going to grab their husbands' Viagra thinking here's a miracle drug," he said. "Do not dabble with your husband's Viagra."

The results of Sher's study will be published in the April edition of the British journal Human Reproduction.

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