Evidence mapPaperPMID 39860070Full record

ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Metformin for Treating Gestational Diabetes: What Have We Learned During the Last Two Decades? A Systematic Review.

Angeliki Gerede, Ekaterini Domali, Christos Chatzakis, Chrysoula Margioula-Siarkou, Stamatios Petousis, Sofoklis Stavros, Konstantinos Nikolettos, Evanthia Gouveri, Sotirios Sotiriou, Panagiotis Tsikouras and 5 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Angeliki GeredeUnit of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrake, 67100 Komotini, Greece.
Ekaterini DomaliFirst Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-8899-3040
Christos ChatzakisSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-5895-6887
Chrysoula Margioula-SiarkouSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-2420-4003
Stamatios PetousisSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-5564-0406
Sofoklis StavrosThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos NikolettosUnit of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrake, 67100 Komotini, Greece.
Evanthia GouveriDiabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Sotirios SotiriouDepartment of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41334 Larissa, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-9466-6086
Panagiotis TsikourasUnit of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrake, 67100 Komotini, Greece.
Konstantinos DinasSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-7144-2840
Nikolaos NikolettosUnit of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrake, 67100 Komotini, Greece.
Nikolaos PapanasDiabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-7320-785X
Dimitrios G GoulisUnit of Reproductive Endocrinology, First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-5005-1995
Alexandros SotiriadisSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-0876-5596

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There has been accumulating evidence over the past two decades that metformin can be an effective treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women whose diet and exercise fail to attain optimal glycemic control. The objective of this review was to comprehensively analyze all studies investigating the effectiveness of metformin compared to insulin and other drugs utilized for the treatment of GDM. After a comprehensive literature review based on PRISMA 2020, 35 studies were included after a selection process utilizing predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A variety of short-term maternal and neonatal outcomes were assessed. Metformin is a highly efficient medication for attaining optimal control of blood sugar levels in women with GDM, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of weight gained during pregnancy. Regarding additional maternal outcomes, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension and cesarean deliveries, some studies demonstrate a link between metformin and a reduced occurrence of both conditions. In contrast, others do not find an association. Regarding short-term neonatal outcomes, metformin does not exhibit any changes in gestational age at delivery. In contrast, metformin demonstrated substantial decreases in the likelihood of greater gestational birth weight and neonatal hospitalization when compared to other drugs. When compared primarily to insulin, metformin decreases the probability of several short-term outcomes related to pregnancy and newborns. Additional data are necessary for extended follow-up studies, including patients with GDM treated with metformin.

Indexed as

gestational diabetes mellitusgestational weight gainglycemic controlmetformin

Identifiers

PMID39860070
PMCPMC11766790

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.