2018 to 2025 Saw Sharp Rise in Postpartum GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use

THURSDAY, Oct. 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Postpartum initiation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) grew 24-fold from 2018 to 2025, according to a research letter published online Oct. 1 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Sih-Ting Cai, Ph.D., from University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues used Merative MarketScan Commercial claims data (2017 to 2025) to examine patterns in postpartum initiation of GLP-1 RAs among 911,908 U.S. women (1.04 million deliveries).The researchers found that the postpartum GLP-1 RA initiation rate increased from 0.08 percent in the first half of 2018 to 1.9 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (a 24-fold increase), with higher initiation among women with type 2 diabetes (2.3 to 16.9 percent), who accounted for 18.3 percent of initiators in the second half of 2024. Beginning in mid-2021, initiation increased substantially among women with gestational diabetes (0.4 to 2.7 percent) and among women with overweight or obesity (0.4 to 3.9 percent). In the second half of 2024, women with overweight or obesity accounted for 40.4 percent of initiations, followed by women with no documented predelivery diagnosis (20.7 percent) and those with gestational diabetes (20.6 percent). Among 1,155 women without a qualifying predelivery diagnosis, more than half (55.2 percent) had one recorded between delivery and their first fill, most commonly overweight or obesity (52.3 percent). Most initiations did not occur immediately after delivery, with 61.6 percent of first prescriptions filled at three to six months postpartum. Median time to initiation was 108 days, but was earlier among women with diabetes versus those with no documented predelivery diagnosis (95 versus 117 days)."Postpartum is a critical window for addressing metabolic risk after pregnancy, and we're seeing GLP-1 use explode in this population," Cai said in a statement. "Because evidence on GLP-1 exposure during breastfeeding remains limited, rising postpartum initiation warrants further study."One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

2018 to 2025 Saw Sharp Rise in Postpartum GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use

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