BMJ: Diabetes drugs may help prolong preterm birth in women with preeclampsia

A study published today in the British Medical Journal found that administering metformin to women with premature preeclampsia may help prolong pregnancy

The results showed that compared with the untreated group, the treatment group had a longer pregnancy by one week, but the results were not statistically significant, so further research is needed

If confirmed by future research, this will have important benefits for both mothers and babies

Pre-eclampsia is a serious disease that is thought to be caused by abnormal placental development

Metformin is commonly used in diabetic patients to help control blood sugar levels, but preliminary research suggests that it may also be a potential treatment for preeclampsia

Therefore, researchers in Australia and South Africa began to evaluate whether extended-release metformin can be used to prolong the pregnancy of women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia of premature birth

The trial was conducted in a large hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, and 180 pregnant women received close monitoring (expected management) for preterm preeclampsia

These women were recruited between February 2018 and March 2020, when they were pregnant for an average of 29 weeks

Women were randomly divided into two groups (groups): 90 received extended-release metformin and 90 received placebo, every day until delivery

The average time from random assignment to delivery in the metformin group was 17.

Two additional analyses were performed

There were no differences between the two groups in terms of severe birth complications or deaths of mothers and babies

This is a reliable and well-designed trial, but the researchers acknowledge that there are some limitations

They said that further trials of metformin should be considered to determine whether the drug can significantly prolong pregnancy and to evaluate its benefits for newborns

DOI

10.

Article title

Use of metformin to prolong gestation in preterm pre-eclampsia: randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial