Metformin Treatment of Pregnant Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Pilot Study

Summary

To investigate the effect of metformin on pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcome in the II. and III. trimester of pregnancy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Timeline

Start

2000-10

Primary completion

2003-03

Completion

2003-03

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper Maternal androgen levels were unaffected by metformin treatment in pregnant women with PCOS. PMID 15178665 ↗

Publications

• Results Vanky E, Salvesen KA, Heimstad R, Fougner KJ, Romundstad P, Carlsen SM. Metformin reduces pregnancy complications without affecting androgen levels in pregnant polycystic ovary syndrome women: results of a randomized study. Hum Reprod. 2004 Aug;19(8):1734-40. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deh347. Epub 2004 Jun 3.
• Results Hanem LGE, Stridsklev S, Juliusson PB, Salvesen O, Roelants M, Carlsen SM, Odegard R, Vanky E. Metformin Use in PCOS Pregnancies Increases the Risk of Offspring Overweight at 4 Years of Age: Follow-Up of Two RCTs. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Apr 1;103(4):1612-1621. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-02419.
• Ryssdal M, Skage JE, Jarmund AH, Hanem LGE, Lovvik TS, Giskeodegard GF, Iversen AC, Vanky E. Metformin Treatment in PCOS Pregnancies Reduces Maternal Infections and Increases the Risk of Allergies and Eczema in the Offspring: Post Hoc Analyses of Two Randomised Controlled Trials and One Follow-Up Study. BJOG. 2025 Nov;132(12):1823-1832. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.18320. Epub 2025 Aug 11.
• Nordtvedt E, Kessler J, Ebbing C, Acharya G, Lovvik TS, Salvesen KA, Salvesen O, Vanky E, Kahrs BH. Placental and cerebral circulation in fetuses of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome and the effect of Metformin exposure. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Jul 10;25(1):749. doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07866-9.
• Ujvari D, Trouva A, Hirschberg AL, Vanky E. Maternal serum levels of prokineticin-1 related to pregnancy complications and metformin use in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a post hoc analysis of two prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 21;13(11):e073619. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073619.
• Trouva A, Alvarsson M, Calissendorff J, Asvold BO, Vanky E, Hirschberg AL. Thyroid Status During Pregnancy in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Effect of Metformin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Feb 21;13:772801. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.772801. eCollection 2022.
• Underdal MO, Salvesen O, Henriksen AH, Andersen M, Vanky E. Impaired Respiratory Function in Women With PCOS Compared With Matched Controls From a Population-Based Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Jan 1;105(1):dgz053. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgz053.
• Underdal MO, Stridsklev S, Oppen IH, Hogetveit K, Andersen MS, Vanky E. Does Metformin Treatment During Pregnancy Modify the Future Metabolic Profile in Women With PCOS? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Jun 1;103(6):2408-2413. doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-00485.

Drugs

Indications