TL;DR
Get health and wellness essentials delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A U.S. analysis of commercial insurance claims found that the share of women filling a GLP-1 prescription within six months after delivery increased from 0.08% in early 2018 to 1.9% by early 2025. The increase was steepest among women with type 2 diabetes, but by the second half of 2024 most initiators did not have that diagnosis; the data do not establish why the drugs were prescribed or how they affect breastfeeding.
The share of U.S. women with commercial insurance who started a GLP-1 medication within six months of delivery rose from 0.08% in early 2018 to 1.9% by early 2025, according to a claims analysis published in a JAMA research letter. The increase was particularly pronounced among women with type 2 diabetes, while the latest data show that most new postpartum users did not have that diagnosis.
Researchers led by Sih-Ting Cai of the University of Southern California analyzed Merative MarketScan Commercial claims for 911,908 women and 1,104,417 deliveries from January 1, 2018, through March 31, 2025. They counted a postpartum start when a woman had at least one pharmacy claim for a GLP-1 medication in the six months after delivery. Women who had filled one in the 180 days before delivery were excluded.
Among women with type 2 diabetes, the initiation rate increased from 2.3% to 16.9% across the study period. But among people starting treatment in the second half of 2024, only 18.3% had type 2 diabetes. The largest identified group, 40.4%, had overweight or obesity; 20.6% had gestational diabetes, and 20.7% had no qualifying diagnosis recorded before delivery.
Most starts did not happen immediately after birth: 61.6% occurred three to six months postpartum. For women without a qualifying diagnosis before delivery, 55.2% had one recorded between delivery and their first medication claim, most often overweight or obesity. The researchers said this could reflect a newly developed or newly documented condition, or incomplete diagnosis information before delivery.
Postpartum Prescribing Is Broadening
The findings show that postpartum GLP-1 prescribing is no longer limited in the claims data to people with a recorded type 2 diabetes diagnosis. That matters for patients and clinicians weighing weight management or metabolic care after birth, particularly because the study does not identify the reason for each prescription and diagnosis records may be incomplete.
Cai told MedPage Today that postpartum use may be rising faster than the analysis captures, while safety evidence has not kept pace. The study offers a U.S. benchmark comparable to a Danish study that also found postpartum prescriptions rising after semaglutide was approved for weight loss. However, the U.S. analysis covers commercially insured women, so its rates should not be treated as a complete measure of use nationwide.
postpartum GLP-1 medication support supplements
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How the Claims Study Was Built
The researchers identified women ages 18 to 49 with continuous commercial insurance enrollment from six months before through six months after delivery. Diagnoses were drawn from claims in the 12 months before birth. Women with type 1 diabetes and those with a recent pre-delivery GLP-1 fill were excluded.
GLP-1 drugs are generally not used during pregnancy, and research on use around pregnancy and after birth remains limited. The study authors described these medications as a possible postpartum treatment for persistent metabolic risk, while reviews of use around pregnancy have not removed calls for caution. The analysis measured prescription claims, not clinical outcomes or whether patients took the medication.
“Postpartum GLP-1 use is likely rising even faster than our numbers show, while the safety evidence hasn’t kept pace. That gap is worth more attention.”
— Sih-Ting Cai, study author, speaking to MedPage Today
weight management supplements for new moms
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Safety and Prescribing Reasons Remain Unknown
The claims data cannot show whether patients were breastfeeding, why clinicians prescribed the medications, or whether patients used them as directed. They also cannot establish the drugs’ effects on maternal or infant health. The authors noted that diagnoses based on billing codes may be incomplete and that some prior users could have been misclassified if their earlier fills fell outside the 180-day exclusion window.
The study included only commercially insured women, limiting how well the results represent people with Medicaid, no insurance, or prescriptions paid for outside standard insurance claims. It also does not capture all cash-pay telehealth prescribing or compounded formulations. Although prior reviews found no apparent increase in adverse maternal or perinatal outcomes from GLP-1 use around pregnancy, experts cited in the report said better evidence is needed before drawing firm safety conclusions.
breastfeeding safe weight loss products
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Researchers Seek Broader Prescribing Data
Cai said future work should examine what is driving prescriptions for women with no diagnosis documented before delivery, and track cash-pay telehealth prescriptions and compounded products that may not appear in conventional insurance claims. Further research is also needed on use while breastfeeding and on outcomes after treatment begins.
Zite said studies could clarify whether GLP-1 treatment affects the later risk of type 2 diabetes among people who had gestational diabetes, as well as whether it affects mental health or encourages rapid postpartum weight loss. The current analysis establishes a trend in recorded prescription starts; it does not resolve those clinical questions.
postpartum health monitoring devices
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
How much did postpartum GLP-1 use increase?
The share of women starting a GLP-1 medication within six months after delivery rose from 0.08% in early 2018 to 1.9% by early 2025 in the commercial claims analysis. These are the study’s reported rates, not a count of all U.S. postpartum patients.
Who made up most recent postpartum initiators?
In the second half of 2024, 18.3% of initiators had type 2 diabetes. The other reported groups were women with overweight or obesity (40.4%), gestational diabetes (20.6%), and no qualifying diagnosis before delivery (20.7%).
Does the study show GLP-1 drugs are safe after birth?
No. It tracked pharmacy claims and diagnoses, not medication effects or health outcomes. The researchers also could not determine breastfeeding status, and experts say more evidence is needed on safety during the postpartum period and breastfeeding.
Why might some initiators have no diagnosis recorded before delivery?
The study cannot determine the reason. Some may have received a diagnosis after delivery, while others may have had incomplete diagnosis records before birth. More than half of initiators with no qualifying pre-delivery diagnosis had one recorded between delivery and their first fill.
Who was included in the analysis?
The study included women ages 18 to 49 with continuous commercial insurance coverage from six months before through six months after delivery. Its results may not represent people with other coverage or those paying for prescriptions outside insurance claims.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
