ABSTRACT
Metformin is the first-line oral treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A 2012 consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes suggested that both lifestyle intervention and metformin should be initiated as soon as diabetes is detected. Among the antidiabetic agents, metformin and human insulin are classified as category B. T2DM is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and relative impairment in insulin secretion. As gestational diabetes (GDM) is a predictor of developing T2DM, it is also a predictor for developing cardiac disease and metabolic syndrome in both the mothers and the offspring. Pharmacologic therapy may be helpful in preventing T2DM in high-risk patients for whom lifestyle interventions fail or are not sustainable. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one randomized controlled trial of pharmacological therapy in women with prior GDM that considered diabetes prevention as the primary end point.
