All You Need to Know About Metformin During Pregnancy

If you are one of those 'who needs a doctor when I can do it at home' people, that attitude is not going to work for pregnancy-related issues! Taking home pregnancy tests cannot always be reliable. Even though these sticks are mostly accurate, a few times they end up giving false results too.
 
Want to know can metformin cause false positive pregnancy test? Read along to find out!
 
What Is Metformin?
 
Metformin is an active ingredient that works towards balancing the sugar levels in your blood and helps in keeping your insulin levels in check. Metformin is primarily being supplied through a popular drug for curing diabetes - Glucophage.
 
Apart from Glucophage, metformin (Fortamet) generic is also available in the medical industry as an individual medicine which helps cure diabetes. Metformin is vastly targeted towards type 2 diabetes which deals with the body's way of utilizing body sugars. People often ask can diabetes cause a false positive pregnancy test and will metformin affect pregnancy test? Let's find out!
 
Metformin And Young Ones
 
Many metformin drugs are prohibited to be consumed by anyone under the age of 18. Hence, most of the time, metformin is to be kept away from children's reach. Consuming metformin if you are pregnant might expose your unborn baby to this high-power drug which might not exactly be healthy for it.
 
There are different insulin syringes and insulin pens that can be used in case a child has been facing diabetes type 2, however, using metformin are not recommended.
 
Metformin And Pregnancy
 
While most of the drugs for type 2 diabetes are unsafe for pregnant women, Glucophage has become the first acclaimed safe drug for women to consume even during their pregnancy. As of now, it has been reported to be perfectly safe until the first trimester.
 
Metformin controls the sugar levels of the body by altering hormonal balances. Controlling bodily sugars is extremely important when someone is pregnant. Along with exercises and dietary restrictions, metformin can help you achieve that goal.
 
It is crucial to keep in mind that one of the major side effects of metformin is stimulating ovulation. This side effect knows no age limits. Hence, women who are around the age of their menopause might also experience ovulation. Lack of awareness about this side effect of metformin increases the chances of unplanned pregnancies, especially among older women.
 
The dosage of metformin needs to be monitored when you are pregnant. If you get pregnant while on a medical course of metformin or if you are planning to take the drug when you are already pregnant, it is crucial to connect to your doctors and provide them with vital information relating to the pregnancy.
 
What is your age, how pregnant are you and what was the mode of pregnancy, your diabetic history, everything plays a very important role in deciding the right dosage for you?
 
Metformin is strictly prohibited for women who are breastfeeding as it may pass on from the Breast milk to children which is ideally not safe.
 
Metformin and PCOS
 
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is a syndrome where the ovary does not release one egg per month. This means that the woman does not get regular periods and it also reduces the chances of a natural pregnancy.
 
This syndrome is usually treated with contraceptive pills and treatments prescribed by doctors. However, sometimes supplementary drugs can also be prescribed along with the traditional treatment to obtain better results.
 
Metformin is also an effective treatment sometimes prescribed for women undergoing PCOS who desire fertility. It is especially useful when the sugar levels of PCOS patients are uncontrollable and are causing a problem in fertility.
 
The drug was initially prescribed to obese women who were dealing with PCOS and faced issues with body sugar levels. However, it was gradually discovered that the drug works even better in non-obese PCOS patients. Its ability to boost ovulation has become a boon for those who suffer from anovulatory PCOS.
 
However, as dealing with PCOS is not the forte of Metformin, it does not necessarily suit and work with everyone. Do not self-medicate with Metformin. Consult with your doctor and try it only with an authorised prescription.
 
Metformin and False Positive Pregnancy Test
 
Can certain medications cause false positive pregnancy test? Absolutely. Is metformin one of them? Let's look into it!
 
Metformin and false positive pregnancy test have been a topic for debate. To answer the long-standing question of whether can metformin cause false positive pregnancy test, let's first understand how pregnancy tests at home work.
 
Pregnancy tests at home generally work by testing the levels of a hormone called HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. Any drug or medicine that alters the hormonal balance of this drug or boosts the production of HCG in the body, can cause a false positive pregnancy test.
 
Metformin only deals with insulin, glucose and sugar levels in the body. To date, no connection has been found between metformin and HCG. Hence, of you were wondering 'can metformin cause false positive pregnancy test or can diabetes cause false positive pregnancy test then the answer would be no.
 
Instead, as mentioned above, it can boost and improve the body conditions for pregnancy by stimulating ovulation. No need to wonder will metformin affect pregnancy test. Getting a false positive pregnancy test can also occur due to many other reasons. Ensure that you are using the test correctly and that you are testing 3-5 weeks post an abortion/miscarriage.
 
Metformin does not cause a false positive or a false negative test. It does not interfere with the pregnancy related hormones and hence plays no role in pregnancy test results whatsoever.
 
Final Words
 
Metformin is a drug that deals with type 2 diabetes and also helps in regulating sugar levels in PCOS patients. You now have your answer to 'can metformin cause false positive pregnancy test'! Metformin does not meddle in any pregnancy tests.
 
If you are pregnant and on metformin, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor for metformin dosage as it might differ from case to case.