Metformin during pregnancy to increase milk supply

[undesigned]

I am 14 weeks pregnant, have PCOS and struggled with low milk supply with my first child. I took metformin to conceive both times. The first time I discontinued metformin early in the first trimester. I also discontinued metformin with my current pregnancy fairly early on.

I am now considering getting back on the metformin while I'm pregnant as I've heard that it can help with necessary developmental changes in my breasts required for lactation to function properly - and might help increase my milk supply this time around.

Have any of you taken metformin during pregnancy? I am worried about potential harm to the fetus but I really want breastfeeding to work this time around. Are the potential risks worth it? I know a lot of women take metformin during pregnancy when they have gestational diabetes. I also need to make sure my OB is on board as well.

Thanks!

[lville71]

Hi! Talking to your OB sounds like a great first step. I'm not sure if you have a reproductive endocrinologist too - but he/she might be another worthwhile resource about taking Metformin during your pregnancy. I think doctors are all over the map about this - some are very hesitant about continuing Metformin during pregnancy (because of the lack of large scale studies) while others are totally on board with it. Also, you may have already seen it but there is a great website out there about breastfeeding with PCOS.

I took Metformin during my entire pregnancy with my twins to try to help me with milk supply. My pregnancy went very smoothly - no gestational diabetes, no pre-eclampsia, and I went full-term. The only pregnancy related issue I had was PUPPP - which definitely wasn't caused by the Metformin.

One of my twins does have a birth defect (biliary atresia) but there is no indication from any of the current medical literature that this is related to taking Metformin during pregnancy. My son is in a national study on biliary atresia and I have asked the researchers about the metformin question too. I believe Metformin is considered a class B drug for pregnancy.

Some women out there do find Metformin to be very helpful with milk supply. I heard that there is a new book by Lisa Morasco (an IBCLC) - I think it's called "Making More Milk" - it's supposed to be a really good resource.

Best of luck!