Maternal health
Claims data show sharp rise in postpartum GLP-1 prescriptions
The share of commercially insured women starting a GLP-1 within six months of delivery rose from 0.08% in early 2018 to 1.9% by early 2025.
An analysis of U.S. insurance claims found that the share of women starting a GLP-1 medication within six months of giving birth rose from 0.08% in the first half of 2018 to 1.9% by the first quarter of 2025. Researchers examined 1,104,417 deliveries among 911,908 commercially insured women.
Women with type 2 diabetes had the highest rate of initiation, rising from 2.3% to 16.9% over the study period. In the second half of 2024, 40.4% of postpartum initiators had overweight or obesity, 20.7% had no pre-delivery diagnosis, 20.6% had gestational diabetes and 18.3% had type 2 diabetes. Most women started treatment at least three months after delivery.
The study, published in JAMA, did not include women covered by Medicaid and could not determine breastfeeding status. The researchers and clinicians quoted in the reports said more research is needed on GLP-1 safety during and after pregnancy, including during breastfeeding.
