High Blood Sugar Tied to Pregnancy Com...(The study included 751 women randomly as...),Health

The researchers found that metformin was well-tolerated, although almost 43 percent of the women eventually required the use of supplemental insulin. There were no serious adverse events reported for mother or baby from the use of metformin, according to the study.

Of this study, Zonszein said, "My guess is that until we have larger studies, there's not going to be a big change in recommendations, because we have so much experience with insulin." But, he added, many women and obstetricians may welcome these findings because "giving a pill is easier than giving insulin." He said another oral medication, glyburide, was also found effective in another small trial.

More information

To learn more about gestational diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.

SOURCES: Boyd Metzger, M.D., Tom D. Spies Professor of Metabolism and Nutrition, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago; Don Coustan, M.D., professor and chair, department of obstetrics/gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and chief of obstetrics and gynecology, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence; Joel Zonszein, M.D., director, Clinical Diabetes Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and professor of clinical medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City; May 8, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine