Abstract
BACKGROUND: Present study carried out in a tertiary referral hospital in North India attempts to determine the maternal and neonatal outcomes of metformin therapy in patients of gestational diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate maternal and neonatal outcomes in patients of GDM on metformin therapy and to study its adverse effects. METHOD: In this prospective observational study, all women diagnosed with GDM not controlled by medical nutrition therapy were started on metformin therapy and the maternal and neonatal outcomes were studied. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients of GDM, not controlled on MNT and requiring pharmacotherapy, were enrolled for the study. An important clinical data from the study were that in 63.5% of patients there was no family history of diabetes mellitus. Average weight gain during pregnancy ranged from 6 to 10 kg. Glycemic control was achieved in 96.2% of patients with varying doses of metformin therapy, and it reached statistical significance. Duration of metformin therapy ranged from a minimum of 2 months to a maximum of 6 months. No serious side effects were noted except for hypoglycemia in one patient. Patient acceptability toward metformin intake was good. Mean birth weight of newborns was 2972 ± 280 g, and no case of fetal macrosomia was seen. Neonatal hypoglycemia was seen in 3.8% of the babies and 6.7% required NICU admission. No case of congenital malformation was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin is a clinically effective, inexpensive and safe drug for treating gestational diabetes mellitus.