Trial reportPloS one2021
Maternal PCOS status and metformin in pregnancy: Steroid hormones in 5-10 years old children from the PregMet randomized controlled study.
Trial report in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Metformin + Insulin vs. Insulin for GDM and T2DM during pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2026 · on this mapPooled it
- Childhood follow-up of the GRoW randomized trial: Metformin in addition to dietary and lifestyle advice for pregnant women with overweight or obesity.Pediatric obesity · 2023Trial
- Metformin Exposure in Pregnancy and Fetal Programming: A Focused Review of Contemporary Evidence.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: A Focus on Puberty.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Long-term effects of metformin on offspring health: A review of current evidence and future directions.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Review
- Metformin use in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Opportunities, benefits, and clinical challenges.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Review
- Metformin use in pregnancy: What about long-term effects in offspring?Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Article
- Giftedness and atypical sexual differentiation: enhanced perceptual functioning through estrogen deficiency instead of androgen excess.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- An Evolutionary Model for the Ancient Origins of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Clinical management of pregnancy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: An expert opinion.Clinical endocrinology · 2022Review
- Reference Curves for Pediatric Endocrinology: Leveraging Biomarker Z-Scores for Clinical Classifications.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2022Article
- Effects of metformin on pregnancy outcome, metabolic profile, and sex hormone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and their offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of translational medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder, with potential effects on offspring both genetically and through altered intrauterine environment. Metformin, which ameliorate hormonal disturbances in non-pregnant women with PCOS is increasingly used in pregnancy. It passes the placenta, and the evidence on potential consequences for offspring endocrine development is scarce. We explore the potential effects of maternal PCOS status and intrauterine metformin exposure on offspring steroid hormone levels.
designThis is a follow-up study of 5-10 years old children from the PregMet-study-a randomized controlled trial comparing metformin (2000 mg/day) to placebo during PCOS pregnancies. Of the 255 children invited, 117 (46%) were included.
methodsThere was no intervention in this follow-up study. Outcomes were serum levels of androstenedione, testosterone, SHBG, cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-deoxycortisol and calculated free testosterone converted to gender-and age adjusted z-scores from a Norwegian reference population. These were compared in i) placebo-exposed children versus children from the reference population (z-score zero) by the deviation in z-score by one-sample t-tests and ii) metformin versus placebo-exposed children by two-sample t-tests. Holm-Bonferroni adjustments were performed to account for multiple endpoints.
resultsGirls of mothers with PCOS (n = 30) had higher mean z-scores of androstenedione (0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41 to 1.06), p<0.0001), testosterone (0.76 (0.51 to 1.00), p<0.0001), and free testosterone (0.99 (0.67 to 1.32), p<0.0001) than the reference population. Metformin-exposed boys (n = 31) tended to have higher 11-deoxycortisol z-score than placebo-exposed boys (n = 24) (mean difference 0.65 (95% CI 0.14-1.17), p = 0.014).
conclusionMaternal PCOS status was associated with elevated androgens in 5- to 10-year-old daughters, which might indicate earlier maturation and increased risk of developing PCOS. An impact of metformin in pregnancy on steroidogenesis in children born to mothers with PCOS cannot be excluded. Our findings need confirmation in studies that include participants that have entered puberty.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.