STOPPING GLP-1 DRUGS DURING PREGNANCY CARRIES RISKS
Stopping GLP-1 weight-loss drugs before pregnancy appears to increase the risk of complications and preterm delivery, a new study found, running counter to guidelines that say women should suspend taking the medicine prior to becoming pregnant.
“Recommendations suggest their discontinuation before pregnancy because there’s not enough information about their safety for unborn babies,” study leader Dr. Jacqueline Maya of Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston said in a statement.
Reviewing data on 1,792 pregnancies in overweight or obese individuals, researchers found that women who stopped taking GLP-1 medications before or early in pregnancy had a 32% higher risk of gaining more weight than recommended and a 30% higher risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy.
They also had a 29% higher risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy, and a 34% higher risk of preterm delivery, compared to those who had never taken GLP-1 drugs.
There were no differences in risk of high or low birth weight, birth length, or Cesarean delivery, the researchers reported in JAMA, opens new tab.
