GLP-1 prescriptions for new mothers have increased sharply

by University of Southern California

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Alexander Pol

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More U.S. women are being prescribed GLP-1 medications after giving birth, particularly those diagnosed with diabetes, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

The study, published Oct. 1 in JAMA, is among the first to document a surge in new prescriptions for the popular diabetes and weight-loss medications, such as Ozempic and Zepbound, among postpartum women in the United States. It is the first to identify which clinical groups—women with diabetes, gestational diabetes, obesity or no documented diagnosis—are driving this growth.

Researchers examined private insurance claims data for just over 1 million births during a seven-year period. The share of new mothers starting a GLP-1 prescription within six months of giving birth increased from 0.08% in the first half of 2018 to 1.9% by the first quarter of 2025—a 24-fold increase.

Women with type 2 diabetes had the highest rate of prescriptions. Among this group, the share starting a GLP-1 prescription increased from 2.3% to 16.9% (or about 1 in 6) over the same period.

The share of those with gestational diabetes who started a GLP-1 prescription also rose substantially, from 0.4% in mid-2021 to 2.7% in the first quarter of 2025. Gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy among women who previously did not have diabetes, affects about 5% to 9% of pregnancies and greatly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Prescribing increased fastest in relative terms among those diagnosed as obese or overweight before pregnancy, from 0.4% in the second half of 2021 to 3.9% in the first quarter of 2025.

More recently, women with diagnosed obesity or overweight have represented a greater share of postpartum GLP-1 users. Since the second half of 2024, this group has accounted for 40% of new prescriptions among postpartum women, followed by 21% who lacked a documented qualifying diagnosis before giving birth. Most who did not have a prepregnancy diagnosis did receive one—usually obesity or overweight—before starting a GLP-1.

Patients are advised to stop using GLP-1s during pregnancy, and most postpartum women who started a GLP-1 did so at least three months after giving birth.

"Postpartum is a critical window for addressing metabolic risk after pregnancy, and we're seeing GLP-1 use explode in this population. Because evidence on GLP-1 exposure during breastfeeding remains limited, rising postpartum initiation warrants further study," said lead author and Schaeffer scholar Sih-Ting Cai.

Despite differences in health care systems, the overall prescription start rate among new U.S. mothers was similar to the rate among postpartum women in Denmark, as reported in a JAMA study last year. The new study does not include mothers enrolled in Medicaid, which covers about 40% of U.S. births.

Publication details

Postpartum Initiation of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Among Commercially Insured Women in the US, JAMA (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2026.16841

Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association

Key medical concepts

Diabetes Type 2ObesityDiabetes and PregnancyOverweight

Clinical categories

Obstetrics & gynecologyEndocrinologyWomen's healthWeight managementClinical pharmacologyPregnancy Provided by University of Southern California Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →

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