Viagra for Women?

Bethesda, MD - The Endocrine Society today urged women and doctors to use caution when considering the use of Viagra to treat female infertility. Dr. Geoffrey Sher, an infertility specialist and head of Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in New Orleans, LA, recently announced that he treated four women, all suffering from thin uterus linings, with Viagra.

While using a vaginal suppository form of the drug, which was developed by Dr. Sher, three out of four of the women became pregnant. Tests showed the women experienced an improvement in uterine blood flow while taking Viagra, but it is unclear whether using the drug actually led to the pregnancies.

"Infertility is a serious problem that effects one in five couples in the United States," said Dr. Glenn Braunstein, an endocrinologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "Dr. Sher's test is an initial look into Viagra's use for women, specifically in treating women with thin uterus linings. However, now it is important to conduct additional research into this use of Viagra in a controlled setting with a larger test group."

News reports about Dr. Sher's study only mentioned Viagra, but women are often simultaneously given a wide variety of treatments for infertility. Treatments can often include various fertility drugs, in vitro fertilization and surgery. For this reason, it is often difficult to pinpoint the exact treatment that leads to pregnancies. Endocrine research into infertility continues to examine the hormonal imbalances that can cause the condition. Even today, many of the specific hormonal changes that determine the successful completion of the reproductive cycle are not fully understood and new research is aimed at providing a greater understanding of these processes.

"The Endocrine Society continues to supports research into causes of and treatments for infertility," said Dr. Larry Jameson, President of The Endocrine Society. "We commend Dr. Sher for his innovation, but hope that additional research, specifically placebo controlled studies, will be conducted, to determine the effectiveness of Viagra in treating infertility in women."

With more than 10,000 members from 80 countries, The Endocrine Society is the world's largest and most active organization devoted to the research, study and clinical practice of endocrinology. Together, these scientists, educators, clinicians, practicing MDs, nurses and students who make up the organization's membership represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. Since its inception in 1916, The Endocrine Society has worked to promote excellence in research, education and the clinical practice of endocrinology.