(NewsNation) — Women who stop taking weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy before or shortly after getting pregnant are more likely to gain significantly more weight than those who have never taken them, new research suggests.
A study by Mass General Brigham, published in the JAMA medical journal, found that discontinuing popular weight loss medications known as GLP-1s could cause complications for pregnant women.
Pregnant women in the study who had never taken the medications gained “statistically significant” less weight during pregnancy. On the other hand, the researchers found that “the GLP-1RA–exposed group had a higher risk of excess gestational weight gain” — a 7.2-pound difference.
The exposed group was also more likely to give birth to a baby with a greater weight, and the women had a higher risk of preterm delivery, gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.
“The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists — or GLP-1RAs — has increased dramatically, but recommendations suggest their discontinuation before pregnancy because there’s not enough information about their safety for unborn babies,” said lead author Jacqueline Maya in a news release. “We sought to assess how such discontinuation affects weight gain and outcomes during pregnancy.”
Researchers analyzed nearly 1,800 pregnancies delivered within the Mass General Brigham health care system in Boston between 2016 and 2025, primarily among women with obesity.
“Additional studies are needed on the balance of pre-pregnancy benefits of GLP-1s with the risks associated with interrupting them for pregnancy,” said author Camille E. Powe. “We need to do more research to find ways to help manage weight gain and reduce risks during pregnancy when stopping GLP-1 medications.”
