ENDO 2024: Reassuring long-term data on safety of metformin during pregnancy

Metformin appears safe to use for the management of diabetes during pregnancy according to new study results presented at ENDO 2024. Researchers collected 11 years’ worth of data and found no long-term adverse effects on children and their mothers for at least 11 years after childbirth. According to an Endocrine Society press release, this is the first study to examine the longer-term effects of metformin use during pregnancy.

• Researchers analyzed data from 10,117 children-mother pairs taken from seven different study cohorts and compared long-term health variables of pregnancies involving metformin vs. insulin to manage type 2 diabetes.
• The outcomes measured included BMI, waist circumference, total body fat percentage, belly fat percentage, liver fat percentage, and obesity and diabetes rates in both children and mothers.
• Over an 11-year timeframe, researchers found no difference in the incidence of these factors in children born to mothers with diabetes who took metformin during pregnancy compared with mothers who took insulin.

Source:

(2024, June 2). Endocrine Society. Metformin may be as safe as insulin during pregnancy, 11-year data shows. [Press release]. https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2024/endo-2024-press-dutta