Possibility of use and effectiveness of oral hypoglyctic drugs in gestational diabetes mellitus: a literature review

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious and frequent concern in pregnancy. Worldwide, the prevalence of GDM ranges from 8 to 20%. In 5% of cases, this pathology is accompanied by complications such as diabetic fetopathy, preeclampsia, neonatal hypoglycemia, and hyperbilirubinemia. Modern national and foreign guidelines for detecting hyperglycemia during pregnancy and diagnosing GDM recommend lifestyle changes and adherence to a carbohydrate-restricted diet as initial therapy. In the absence of positive dynamics against the background of non-drug therapy, the Russian Federation recommends only the use of insulin. A number of foreign guidelines consider the use of oral hypoglycemic agents (metformin and/or glibenclamide) during pregnancy as an alternative to injectable drugs. In this review, we compared the efficacy and safety of metformin and/or glibenclamide for treating GDM. Metformin and glibenclamide are reliable and safe for correcting the level of blood glucose in pregnant women, but the optimal therapeutic strategy includes their combined use or combined use with insulin.