Prescribing Trends in Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Medications Among Pregnant and Postpartum Persons
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: With rising obesity rates and increasing glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use, understanding perinatal prescribing patterns is important. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine semaglutide and tirzepatide prescribing among pregnant patients in the United States from 2019 to 2024. We analyzed prescriptions during the year before and after delivery, grouping deliveries into 6-month periods and applying segmented linear regression with data-driven change-point detection to identify prescribing-trend shifts. Prevalence of GLP-1 RA prescribing increased from 0.2 to 6.4 per 1,000 deliveries predelivery and from 0.3 to 14.6 per 1,000 deliveries postdelivery, with significant prescribing change points indicating accelerated prescribing in June 2022 for the predelivery period and in March 2021 for the postdelivery period. These findings suggest rapid adoption of GLP-1 RAs in the perinatal period and underscore the need for evidence-based safety data for these medications.
Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Substance Use in Pregnant People - Optimizing Retention in Treatment by Maximizing Opportunities for Management (SUPPORT-MOM), Using the Transdermal Patch for Buprenorphine Induction during Pregnancy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, The Opioid in Pregnancy: Imaging of Oxygenation, Inflammation, and Development in Brain & Placenta Project (OPIOID BPP), Washington University Psychiatry Residency Research Education Program, Using Big Data to Optimize Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy, A Preconception Health Intervention to Reduce Substance Exposed Pregnancies among Incarcerated Women
OpenAlex ID: W7119531877