Do you have diabetes? Are you a man? Are you thinking about becoming a father?

If you or someone you know can answer yes to the above questions, it’s time for them to talk to their doctor about the medication they are taking to manage their diabetes. Their current medication could have serious side effects not only on them but also on any children they might father.

The medication that we mention is called Metformin – a drug used to manage type 2 diabetes, but it may also cause g-eni-tal defects in babies of fathers who take this medication.

A study conducted by Stanford University and the University of Southern Denmark found a link between genital birth defects in baby boys and fathers who took Metformin up to three months before conception. Fathers who took Metformin in the three month period before conception had a 5.2% chance of their babies having birth defects, while fathers who didn’t take Metformin had a 3.3% chance of their babies having birth defects.

The study did not include mothers who took Metformin. It also only looked at men who were under the age of 40 where the mother was under the age of 35. Researchers looked at national registries of births between 1997 and 2016 and considered fathers to be taking Metformin if they filled a prescription for the drug any time within three months of conception.

Men currently taking Metformin to manage diabetes are advised to talk to their doctor especially if they are considering having children. As per the same study, men’s sperm quality can be impacted by diabetes control, so switching to a different medication could also impact the chance of conception.