Continuation of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use in Early Pregnancy Seems Safe

WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Continuation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) into early pregnancy seems not to be associated with the risk for nonlive birth, abnormal fetal growth, or major congenital malformation (MCM), according to a study published online June 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Jeremy P. Brown, Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues estimated the risk for nonlive birth, abnormal fetal growth, and MCM with GLP-1 RA dispensing in early pregnancy in an observational cohort of pregnant women aged 16 to 55 years with a GLP-1 RA dispensation in the 90 days before the last menstrual period (LMP); 3,572 pregnancies were included in the study. A target trial was emulated with two treatment strategies: continuation of dispensing into the first trimester or noncontinuation.

The researchers found that the weighted risk for nonlive birth was 29.7 and 27.1 percent with continuation and noncontinuation, respectively (adjusted risk ratio, 1.09; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.98 to 1.23). Overall, 1,443 (57.1 percent) of the 2,529 live-birth pregnancies received at least one GLP-1 RA dispensation after LMP, and 1,499 (829 with continued dispensing) were linked to an infant. For continuation versus noncontinuation, the weighted prevalence ratios were 1.29 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.82 to 2.06), 1.08 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.40), and 1.21 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.83 to 1.82) for small for gestational age, large for gestational age, and MCM, respectively.

“Accumulated evidence provides some reassurance about risk for malformations after inadvertent exposure in women who become pregnant while using GLP-1 RAs,” the authors write.

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