Metformin is an oral medication called a hypoglycemic, which is used to lower blood sugar in patients with diabetes. Metformin can also be used to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome. Like any medication, metformin should be used under the careful supervision of a doctor, particularly during pregnancy. Overall, metformin appears to be safe for the mother and baby in most cases, although insulin is often a more effective medication for diabetics.
Lower Blood Sugar
Metformin is an effective medication to lower blood sugar and improve symptoms in many patients with diabetes. According to March of Dimes, about one in 100 women of childbearing age has diabetes that started before pregnancy, called pre-gestational diabetes, and another four in 100 develop diabetes during pregnancy, called gestational diabetes. Treatment of diabetes is essential to help ensure the healthiest outcome for the baby. Babies of women with pre-gestational diabetes have a chance up to four times greater than babies of women without diabetes for various birth defects, including heart defects, open spine defects, cleft lip and/or cleft palate. However, when blood sugar is well-controlled before and during pregnancy, the risk for birth defects is not significantly increased. Untreated maternal diabetes also increases the risk for miscarriage and stillbirth, premature birth, unusually large babies and complications in the newborn such as breathing problems.
Increase Blood Pressure
Metformin may increase blood pressure in women, especially during pregnancy. A study reported in the journal “Diabetic Medicine” compared the pregnancy outcomes of 50 diabetic women who used metformin with those of women who used other oral hypoglycemics or insulin. In this study, metformin use was associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure in the mother. Women should speak with their doctors about whether taking both metformin and a medication to lower blood pressure is safe.
Reduce Miscarriage and Gestational Diabetes Risk
A problem with the body’s use of insulin may be one of the underlying causes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Therefore, women with PCOS are often treated with metformin. In addition to increasing the chance of getting pregnant, metformin also appears to reduce the chance for miscarriage in women with PCOS when it is taken during the first trimester. When used throughout pregnancy, metformin may decrease the risk of developing gestational diabetes in women with PCOS. The use of metformin during pregnancy to treat PCOS has not been found to increase the risk of birth defects in the baby. Women who become pregnant while taking metformin should speak with their doctor about whether they should continue taking the medication.
References
- March of Dimes: Diabetes in Pregnancy
- "Diabetic Medicine"; Oral Hypoglycaemic Agents in 118 Diabetic Pregnancies; E. Hellmuth et al; July 2000
- "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Diabetes Mellitus and Birth Defects; A. Correa et al; September 2008
- Organization of Teratology Information Services: Metformin and Pregnancy
- "Fertility and Sterility"; Pregnancy Outcome After First-Trimester Exposure to Metformin: A Meta-Analysis; C. Gilbert et al; September 2006
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