Viagra: The New Mother's Little Helper?

Maybe we should have seen it coming: Viagra, credited with the reinvigoration of the male sex drive, has now been linked to a number of pregnancies in previously infertile women. A little pill appears to give everyone what they want: Men get their mojo back, while some infertile women may get the pregnancies they desire. In Las Vegas, four patients whose uterine linings were considered too thin to support a fertilized egg were given Viagra in hopes of increasing blood flow to the problem areas — in the same way the drug delivers a surge of blood to a man's penis. The dosage worked for three of the women, whose linings thickened enough to accommodate an implanted embryo.

The results of this very limited study shouldn't be blown out of proportion, doctors are quick to point out, because most cases of infertility are not caused by uterine lining problems. And then there's the question of statistics. "There has to be a much larger study to establish real results," says TIME medical contributor Dr. Ian Smith. "Just because this procedure works in a very small sample doesn't necessarily mean it will work in a larger group." Of course, Smith adds, if the results are borne out, it would be an enormous boon to people struggling with infertility. Even then we'd have to see how the poor men handle the side effects of the treatment: Women everywhere suddenly wild about sex.