Trends in GLP-1 Based Therapy Use Before and After Pregnancy

Authors

• Nansi S. Boghossain, University of South Carolina - Columbia
• Lauren McAbee, Prisma Health, Greenville, South Carolina
• Antonio F. Saad, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia
• Maged M. Costantine, The Ohio State University
• Marwan Ma'ayeh, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
• Joseph A. Ewing, Prisma Health, Greenville, South Carolina

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1111/dom.71301

Publication Title

Diebetes, Obesity and Metabolism

Volume

Advance online publication

Pages

5 pp.

Abstract

[Introduction] Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies are increasingly prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, with rapid uptake of newer agents such as semaglutide and tirzepatide [1, 2]. These medications improve glycemic control and promote weight loss and are now widely used among reproductive-aged individuals [2, 3]. However, GLP-1-based therapies are typically discontinued prior to pregnancy because of limited safety data and potential fetal risks, and current guidance recommends avoiding use during pregnancy [3]. As prescribing expands, a growing number of individuals entering pregnancy may have recent exposure to GLP-1-based therapies or may initiate these medications postpartum.

Despite this increasing use, patterns of GLP-1-based therapy use before and after pregnancy remain poorly characterised. We aimed to characterise temporal trends in GLP-1-based therapy use before and after pregnancy, including patterns of pre-pregnancy use, postpartum initiation and postpartum re-initiation using data from a national electronic health record (EHR) network.

Rights

© 2026 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The data used in this study cannot be shared by the authors because they were obtained through the Epic Cosmos platform and are subject to data use agreements. Access to Epic Cosmos data may be available to investigators affiliated with participating institutions through the Epic Cosmos platform."

Original Publication Citation

hossian, N. S., McAbee, L., Saad, A. F., Costantine, M. M., Ma'ayeh, M., & Ewing, J. A. (2026). Trends in GLP-1-based therapy use before and after pregnancy. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.71301

Repository Citation

hossian, N. S., McAbee, L., Saad, A. F., Costantine, M. M., Ma'ayeh, M., & Ewing, J. A. (2026). Trends in GLP-1-based therapy use before and after pregnancy. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.71301