A new use for those little blue pills

from The Business Online
Viagra is tested on pregnant women to cure labour problems
By : Catherine Boyle

VIAGRA is being tested on pregnant women as Pfizer, its manufacturer, tries to expand the $1.6bn (£800m, E1.2bn) market for the blockbuster drug.

The trademark blue pill, which originally underwent trials as a treatment for angina, is being tested as a remedy for high blood pressure in pregnant women, as well as those suffering from pre-eclampsia, a serious condition associated with premature deliveries of babies.

Pfizer could file for approval for use of the drug as a treatment for pregnancy-related conditions in late 2008, which would have the potential of adding hundreds of millions of dollars to sales.

It would be the latest proposal in a line of alternative uses for

Viagra. The worldwide patent for Viagra expires between 2011 and 2013, and Pfizer want to maximize sales while it has the chance. Researchers at Pfizer and elsewhere are experimenting with use of the drug in treating strokes, pelvic pain and heart failure.

The latest trials are being conducted at the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Israel on women in weeks 24 to 33 of pregnancy suffering from high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia.

Doctors believe that Viagra will widen the blood vessels that deliver vital nutrition between the mother and the foetus. This would make babies less likely to be born early or underdeveloped.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the most common health problem associated with pregnancy, and causes complications in 2%-3% of pregnancies.

Pre-eclampsia occurs in approximately 5% of all pregnancies, and is twice as likely in first-time mothers. Together, these disorders kill 76,000 women and newborns each year. The cause of pre-eclampsia has yet to be proved conclusively, but there is a link between the condition and high blood pressure.

Very interesting. It makes sense, since Viagra helps improve blood flow, that it would help improve blood flow to the baby through the placenta -- the major issue underlying preeclampsia. If Pfizer is really pushing to get approval in fall 08, then it could be available for me when and if we decide to add to our family. It would be nice to have something in the medical arsenal that could actually prevent preeclampsia, instead of just treating the symptoms.

Milestones

As of tomorrow, I'll be 22 weeks pregnant, and it's really starting to sink in. Just three more weeks until I hit 25 weeks, when I lost Eliza. And it seems to get harder every day. I have more anxiety, and more depression, even though physically, I'm doing great.

My blood pressure is doing just fine, thank you, and only the slightest swelling in my fingers (engagement ring had to come off, but wedding ring is hanging in there for now). Baby Viv continues to kick and do flips like she's in training for the US Swim Team. But I can't help the anxiety and bad feelings that creep in to everything I do.

I'm hopeful that once I get past 25 weeks, that some of this malaise will also pass. At that point, I will be more pregnant than I have ever been. And that will be a milestone.

Here is a photo I've stolen from the fabulous Ellen, of L.A. Is My Beat, because lord knows I don't take enough photos. Progress on the pumpkin quilt is being made, slowly but surely.

and the color of the pumpkin is...

Pink!

Pumpkin is officially a girl, no doubt about it. She is also extremely active, to the point that the tech, who sees hundreds of babies, commented on how squirmy she was. Pumpkin is very nearly perfect. She's growing well, and the only thing the doctor wants to watch is her kidneys (he says that due to the fact that some of the valves aren't fully formed, she's having some reflux. But in 85% of babies with this condition, the issue corrects itself before birth, so it's just something to watch for now).

Pumpkin also officially has a name, Vivian Bliss Manfredi. Baby Viv's middle name is the same as my grandfather's, just as Eliza's middle name was Pearl, after Rich's grandmother.

Rich & I are both thrilled to see how well Pumpkin is growing, and can't wait to meet her this summer.

Stuff & Nonsense

Absolutely no rhyme or reason to this post, just an update so you (my faithful readers) don't assume I have fallen into the abyss.

The Awesome Helicopter Ninja Fanclub is officially open for business. You know you want to.

Progress on Pumpkin's quilt is coming along.
Deano has decided that, since Pumpkin isn't here yet, he might as well break it in. The appliques are all sewn on, so now the actual quilting can begin, except that I seem to have misplaced the fabric I cut for the backing. So it's back to the fabric store I go.

Progress on Pumpkin is coming along, too. I'm almost 20 weeks along, and on Wednesday morning, we get to have another ultrasound and hopefully get a gender confirmation. I'm excited, but there is a kernel of fear, too. I just have to concentrate on all the kicks Pumpkin is giving me to keep me upbeat.