The first study to consider the effect of Viagra (sildenafil) during pregnancy affected by hypertension on such significant facts as fetal growth and well-being and the mother’s uterine circulation yielded surprisingly positive results, which may indicate possible utility in preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. 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 author/laboratory head, George Osol, professor and director of research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington. *Paper presentation: “Beneficial effects of Viagra on fetal and vascular parameters in hypertensive pregnancy in the rat,” 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday April 5, Physiology 909.9/board #A134. On view 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Research was performed by George Osol, Gerard Celia and Natalia I. Gokina, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, with the assistance of lab technician Keara McElroy-Yaggy. Osol and his team are presenting the research at the 35th Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences in San Diego, March 31 - April 5, 2005.
