Basically, metformin is a category B (B1 I think) drug in pregnancy, which means that there aren't enough studies to show that it is safe, but it hasn't yet been known to cause birth defects.
The vast majority of obstetricians (and fertility specialists and GPs) will have you stop metformin as soon as you are pregnant, but more recent studies show that continuing to take it through first trimester can help reduce the risk of miscarriage.
I was on metformin during my first pregnancy. When some bad morning sickness set in my GP had me reduce my dosage (I didn't even stop it completely!) and sadly, within a few days my baby had died. At the same time I was on prednisone for arthritis... every time I reduced my dosage of prednisone below 10mg I would get spotting. Some thing happened when I reduced the dosage of metformin.
Fast forward through some hellish IVF experiences to my current pregnancy... I stayed on 1500mg of metformin up until 17 weeks (when my OB got me to do my first glucose tolerance test) and all was well. No episodes of spotting at all through first trimester. I'm still on the 10mg of prednisone, but would reduce my dosage if my arthritis were under better control.
It's a decision that you need to make in conjuction with your specialist. In the end, I had one fertility specialist, my GP and my OB all saying stop. Of those, my OB was the most relaxed about me continuing to take it through first trimester only. I had another fertility specialist and a different OB both tell me that I should continue to take it, and through my own research, experience and gut feelings... I decided that staying on it was the right thing to do for me.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks