Use of metformin during pregnancy for women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

A review. Objective: The purpose of this article is to review the literature assessing fetal and maternal pregnancy outcomes in women with PCOS who used metformin during pregnancy. Study Design: A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, with anal. of 25 studies that recorded neonatal and maternal outcomes in women who used metformin during pregnancy. The outcomes assessed in this review include congenital deformities, miscarriages, preterm labor, gestational diabetes (GDM) and pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). Results: We found that the use of metformin throughout pregnancy correlated with decreased rates of preterm labor, GDM and PIH. Conflicting evidence exists over whether metformin use during pregnancy reduced miscarriage rates. The use of metformin during pregnancy did not increase teratogenicity risks. Conclusion: The use of metformin throughout pregnancy is assocd. with decreased rates of preterm labor, GDM, and PIH. However, more randomized controls involving larger nos. of participants are required for more definitive results. [on SciFinder(R)]