US’s top group of OB-GYNs release first-ever rules for GLP-1 use and pregnancy

US’s top group of OB-GYNs release first-ever rules for GLP-1 use and pregnancy The percentage of new mothers receiving prescriptions for the drugs has leapt in the past seven years - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in New, first-of-their-kind guidelines are advising pregnant women and new moms about how to safely use GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs. The guidelines aim to help OB-GYNs, who have seen GLP-1-use surge in the U.S. in recent years but lacked comprehensive instruction on whether or not to recommend the drugs. Women should forgo taking GLP-1 drugs during pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines published Friday. Doctors should recommend women stop taking the medications one to two months before they plan to get pregnant, the guidelines stated. But taking the shots might be okay while breastfeeding, after a baby’s first month, the nation’s leading organization for obstetricians and gynecologists notes. While as many as 1 in 300 women are exposed to the drugs before pregnancy, lead author Dr. D. Yvette LaCoursiere said, there still isn’t enough data to know what effects the medication could have on a pregnancy or a fetus. “This is a fast-moving area of research, so for now we need to proceed with caution and reassess as more data becomes available,” the University of California, San Diego professor explained in a statement. The guidelines aren’t necessarily an endorsement of taking a GLP-1 while breastfeeding, either, LaCoursiere told The Wall Street Journal. They support having a discussion with a healthcare provider. “We know that GLP-1s have an impact on caloric and nutrient absorption. How does that impact the breast milk? We don’t know,” she said. “I think this guideline allows providers to follow the data as they are released and have a discussion with their patients so that they can make a decision,” LaCoursiere added. New moms’ use of GLP-1s The guidelines follow research released earlier this month showing more new moms are taking GLP-1s in the U.S. The percentage of new mothers receiving prescriptions for the drugs saw a 24-fold increase over the course of seven years from 2018-2025, researchers at the University of Southern California said. The majority of Americans are now taking the drugs for weight loss, instead of to treat diabetes or other health conditions, a survey published Thursday by Boston consulting group EY-Parthenon showed. Effects of the drugs postpartum have not been studied widely. The new guidelines do not say if and when postpartum women should take the drugs if they did not qualify for a prescription before their pregnancy. The guidelines will be updated as research evolves, the authors said. Preliminary research suggests GLP-1s aren’t likely to show up in breast milk, though the guidelines say people who are breastfeeding should avoid oral forms of the drugs. And taking the drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy does not appear to substantially increase the risk of adverse outcomes, a June study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found. However, the study doesn’t shed light on the safety of GLP-1 use after that period. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments