Key takeaways
- Postpartum GLP-1 initiation increased 20-fold in the U.S. between early 2018 and early 2025.
What happened
According to a new research letter published in JAMA, the percentage of postpartum women in the United States starting a GLP-1 medication within six months of giving birth increased more than 20-fold between early 2018 and early 2025. Drawing on Merative MarketScan Commercial claims data of over 911,000 eligible women, researchers from the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at the University of Southern California found that postpartum initiation rose from just 0.08% to 1.9% over the study period. While the trend initially began among patients managing type 2 diabetes, the vast majority of recent postpartum initiators are now using these medications for weight loss and obesity management.
Why it matters
This dramatic surge highlights a major shift in how postpartum mothers approach weight management, but it also reveals a critical safety gap. While many women are turning to popular GLP-1 therapies to shed "baby weight" shortly after delivery, robust clinical safety data regarding the use of these medications during the postpartum and breastfeeding periods remains incredibly scarce.
For the millions of Americans who buy their medications out-of-pocket or navigate online care, this trend underscores the growing role of telehealth providers. Many postpartum mothers face challenges accessing specialized weight-loss care through traditional channels or obtaining insurance coverage for cosmetic weight loss. Consequently, they turn to online platforms to access brand-name medications like Wegovy and Zepbound, or more affordable compounded alternatives. However, because clinical trials on GLP-1 safety during lactation are lagging, patients and online providers are navigating these decisions with very limited medical evidence.
What the data says
The study, led by Sih-Ting Cai, PhD, and colleagues, analyzed commercial insurance claims for live-birth deliveries between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2025. The researchers defined postpartum initiation as filling at least one GLP-1 prescription within six months of giving birth.
Key statistical insights from the research include:
- The Overwhelming Shift to Weight Loss: In the second half of 2024, only 18.3% of postpartum GLP-1 initiators had type 2 diabetes. The remaining majority consisted of women with overweight or obesity (40.4%), gestational diabetes (20.6%), or no pre-delivery diagnosis at all (20.7%).
- Pre-Delivery Profiles: Among the broad cohort of eligible women, 68.2% had no qualifying metabolic diagnosis before delivery, 17.8% were classified as overweight or obese, 12% had gestational diabetes, and just 2% had type 2 diabetes.
- The Timing of First Doses: Most postpartum women (61.6%) waited three to six months after delivery to fill their first GLP-1 prescription. The median time to start treatment was 95 days post-delivery for women with type 2 diabetes, compared to 117 days for those with no pre-delivery diagnosis.
Speaking to MedPage Today, Dr. Cai warned that "postpartum GLP-1 use is likely rising even faster than our numbers show, while the safety evidence hasn't kept pace."
How it compares
The explosive growth of GLP-1 prescriptions in the postpartum U.S. demographic mirrors international trends. A similar Danish study published in JAMA last year likewise showed a sharp increase in postpartum prescriptions once semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) secured regulatory approval specifically for weight loss.
However, U.S. patients face vastly different financial hurdles than those in Denmark's universal healthcare system. In the U.S., a patient seeking brand-name Wegovy or Zepbound without insurance coverage can expect retail cash prices to hover between $1,000 and $1,350 per month.
To bypass these high retail costs, many cash-paying buyers use online telehealth providers to find more affordable options. While some platforms assist patients in navigating insurance coverage, others offer direct-to-consumer cash-pay programs. For instance, platforms like Oak launched $119 compounded GLP-1 plans, driving intense price competition in the telehealth sector. For postpartum mothers who do not qualify for insurance coverage under strict employer guidelines, these budget-friendly compounding programs represent a highly accessible alternative to traditional clinical settings.
How this fits the bigger picture
The rise of postpartum GLP-1 use reflects a broader commercial shift. As manufacturers increasingly position these medications as lifestyle tools, online clinics have stepped in to meet the demand. Our previous coverage on how GLP-1 marketing shifts to lifestyle branding details how these therapies are packaged less like traditional medications and more like modern wellness subscriptions, making them highly attractive to postpartum mothers looking to reverse recent weight gain.
While clinical reassurance is growing in some areas—such as recent studies finding no fetal risk from early GLP-1 exposure prior to realizing a pregnancy—the medical community remains deeply cautious about active GLP-1 use during the postpartum recovery phase. Ob/gyns have raised concerns about whether rapid postpartum weight loss is healthy during a period of intense physical recovery, or if these drugs might inadvertently impact maternal mental health.
Additionally, patients utilizing budget telehealth plans must be particularly vigilant. Postpartum women already face heightened nutritional demands, especially if they are lactating. As we highlighted in our coverage of adolescent GLP-1 nutritional deficiency risks, the strong appetite-suppressing effects of these medications can make it difficult to consume essential vitamins and minerals, a risk that budget telehealth programs often fail to monitor closely.
What happens next
Medical experts are calling for urgent, targeted clinical trials to evaluate the safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists in breastfeeding mothers. Future studies will need to determine if trace amounts of semaglutide or tirzepatide pass into breast milk and what effect, if any, they have on developing infants.
Furthermore, researchers hope to discover whether administering postpartum GLP-1s to women who experienced gestational diabetes can successfully lower their high lifetime risk of developing chronic type 2 diabetes. For now, postpartum patients considering online weight-loss plans should consult directly with their obstetrician and select telehealth providers that offer comprehensive clinical oversight rather than quick-prescription services.
Disclaimer: CompareRx does not provide medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting or stopping any medication, particularly during the postpartum period or while breastfeeding.