Viagra

Viagra: the new party drug

According to a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, the number of men under 45 years old who take Viagra tripled from 1998 to 2002. It would be difficult to say just what percentage of those men are taking the drug just to impress the ladies, but you can bet that it's only going to increase with time.

Since Pfizer came out with sildenafil (the generic name of Viagra) in 1998, there have been a steady stream of studies documenting its side effects. Priapism is just the tip of the side effects. The drug has also been linked to heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia, chest pain, and sudden blindness.

A lab study conducted in the UK found that Viagra could have a negative impact on sperm function and male fertility.

New findings out of Queen's University Belfast show that when cultured sperm were exposed to Viagra, it "led to a sustained enhancement of motility, both in numbers of progressively motile sperm and their velocity."

The researchers also found that sildenafil caused a "premature acrosome reaction." (The head of every sperm is covered with acrosomes. These structures contain a variety of enzymes that help the sperm penetrate the outer membrane of the egg. But if the acrosome reacts too early, it's impossible to fertilize the egg.

The researchers wrote: "Given that the majority of sperm acrosome react on exposure to (Viagra), the drug may cause significant impairment to their fertilizing potential."