Trial reportBMC pediatrics2020
Cognitive function in metformin exposed children, born to mothers with PCOS - follow-up of an RCT.
Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00159536 (Metformin Treatment of Pregnant Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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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.
Metformin Treatment of Pregnant Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Placental and cerebral circulation in fetuses of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome and the effect of Metformin exposure.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- Metformin Versus Insulin for Gestational Diabetes: Cognitive and Neuropsychological Profiles of Children Aged 9 years.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP · 2023Trial
- Metformin Exposure in Pregnancy and Childhood Developmental Outcomes.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Adult ADHD Symptoms in Syrian War Refugees with Long-Term Health Conditions: A Screening Cross-Sectional Analysis from Jordan.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- 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
- Growth Restriction in the Offspring of Mothers With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Anthropometrics of neonates born to mothers with PCOS with metformin or placebo exposure in utero.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Challenges and Possible Solutions.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Lights and shadows on the use of metformin in pregnancy: from the preconception phase to breastfeeding and beyond.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- 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
- PGC-1α activity and mitochondrial dysfunction in preterm infants.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Review
- Long-term effects of metformin use in gestational diabetes mellitus on offspring health.World journal of diabetes · 2021Article
- Glycemic control and neonatal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus treated using glyburide, metformin, or insulin: a pairwise and network meta-analysis.BMC endocrine disorders · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMetformin is widely used in pregnancy to treat gestational diabetes mellitus and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Association between PCOS and developmental delay in offspring, and larger head circumference of metformin-exposed newborns has been reported. The objective of this study was to explore whether metformin exposure in utero had any effect on offspring cognitive function.
methodThe current study is a follow-up of two randomized, placebo-controlled studies which were conducted at 11 public hospitals in Norway In the baseline studies (conducted in 2000-2003, and 2005-2009), participants were randomized to metformin 1700 and 2000 mg/d or placebo from first trimester to delivery. There was no intervention in the current study. We invited parents of 292 children to give permission for their children to participate; 93 children were included (mean age 7.7 years). The follow-up study was conducted in 2014-2016. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence version III and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children version IV were applied for cognitive assessment. Androstenedione and testosterone were measured in maternal blood samples at four time-points in pregnancy.
resultsWe found no difference in mean, full scale IQ in metformin (100.0 (SD 13.2)) vs. placebo-exposed (100.9 (SD 10.1)) children. There was an association between metformin exposure in utero and borderline intellectual function of children (full scale IQ between 70 and 85). Free testosterone index in gestational week 19, and androstenedione in gestational week 36 correlated positively to full scale IQ.
conclusionsWe found no evidence of long-term effect of metformin on average child cognitive function. The increase of borderline intellectual functioning in metformin-exposed children must be interpreted with caution due to small sample size.
trial registrationThe baseline study was registered on 12 September 2005 at the US National Institute of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) # NCT00159536.
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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 OpenQuestion graph.