Lead: A Danish registry analysis found a sharp rise in prescriptions for GLP-1 weight‑loss drugs given to new mothers, climbing from fewer than 5 prescriptions per 10,000 postpartum women in 2018 to 173 per 10,000 by mid‑2024. The study reviewed 382,277 pregnancies recorded in Denmark between 2018 and June 2024 and linked birth records to national prescription data. Most postpartum recipients were over age 30, two‑thirds had at least one earlier child, and the majority were classified as overweight without diabetes or prior GLP‑1 use. The authors and outside experts say the pattern raises safety and policy questions because evidence on effects during breastfeeding and on infant development is limited.
Key Takeaways
- Study population: 382,277 pregnancies in Denmark from 2018 through June 2024, linked to the National Prescription Registry.
- Prescription trend: GLP‑1 prescriptions in the first six months postpartum rose from <5 per 10,000 in 2018 to 34 per 10,000 by mid‑2022 and 173 per 10,000 by mid‑2024 (about 1.73%, rounded to almost 2%).
- Patient profile: Most postpartum users were older than 30, two‑thirds had more than one child, and most were overweight but did not have diabetes or prior GLP‑1 exposure.
- Drug involved: Semaglutide—sold as Wegovy and Ozempic—was the primary active ingredient noted among prescriptions.
- Evidence gap: Semaglutide has not been detected in measurable amounts in sampled breast milk and no short‑term adverse effects have been reported in the limited available studies, but long‑term infant metabolic and developmental effects remain unknown.
- Data source and publication: The analysis used national Danish registries and was published online in JAMA Network Open; the New York Times reported the findings on Nov. 25, 2025.
Background
The arrival of semaglutide‑based GLP‑1 medications for chronic weight management has reshaped prescribing patterns since their approval for obesity indications. Initially developed and widely used for type 2 diabetes, semaglutide formulations (Wegovy, Ozempic) became prominent weight‑loss therapies and attracted rapid public and clinical interest. Denmark maintains comprehensive health registries that allow linkage of births to prescription dispensations; researchers used those resources to study postpartum prescribing specifically. Postpartum physiology is marked by ongoing hormonal shifts and typically natural weight changes, factors that complicate interpretation of medication use in the first months after delivery.
Regulatory approvals and labeling for GLP‑1 drugs generally exclude pregnancy and advise caution during breastfeeding because rigorous trials in these groups are absent. Observational safety data are sparse: some small studies and pharmacokinetic analyses have not found measurable semaglutide in breast milk samples, but those studies are limited in size and duration. Clinicians and public health officials must weigh maternal benefits and preferences against uncertain infant risks when considering off‑label or early postpartum prescribing.
Main Event
Danish researchers led by pharmacologist Mette Bliddal examined all live births in national registers and tracked any dispensed GLP‑1 prescriptions in the first six months after delivery. They found a low baseline rate in 2018—fewer than five prescriptions per 10,000 postpartum mothers—followed by a steady rise to 34 per 10,000 by mid‑2022 and a striking jump to 173 per 10,000 by mid‑2024. The work classified patient characteristics and found that most recipients were older than 30, a substantial share had prior births, most were recorded as overweight, and most did not have diabetes or earlier GLP‑1 prescriptions.
The paper, published online in JAMA Network Open, highlights that many prescriptions appeared to be initiated after delivery rather than continued from preexisting use during pregnancy. That pattern prompted the authors to flag the timing as unexpected given the postpartum period’s physiological context. The investigators used Denmark’s high‑quality linkage between the Medical Birth Register and the National Prescription Registry to capture dispensations; the method identifies prescriptions filled but cannot directly measure ingestion or breastfeeding practices.
Authors and commentators stressed that the study documents prescribing behavior, not clinical outcomes for mothers or infants. While no measurable semaglutide was detected in the limited breast‑milk samples reported elsewhere and no immediate harms in breastfed infants have been published, the investigators cautioned that long‑term developmental and metabolic effects in exposed infants remain uncharacterized.
Analysis & Implications
The spike in postpartum GLP‑1 prescriptions has several possible drivers: expanding indications and marketing, increased clinician familiarity, media coverage of weight‑loss effects, and maternal demand to accelerate postpartum weight loss. Each driver has different policy implications—whether to tighten guidance, expand postpartum counseling, or invest in targeted safety research. Because most recipients lacked diabetes, many prescriptions appear aimed at weight management rather than glycemic control, a use case with less empirical safety data in lactation.
From a public‑health perspective, even a relatively small absolute percentage can matter: at 173 prescriptions per 10,000 postpartum women, population exposure grows quickly in countries with high uptake. If semaglutide or similar agents have subtle effects on infant metabolic programming, the public‑health burden could be larger than any single clinician‑reported adverse event suggests. Conversely, restricting access without clear evidence of harm could deny benefits to mothers who weigh risks and rewards differently.
Regulatory bodies and professional societies will face pressure to update guidance. The current evidence base—small pharmacokinetic studies, limited infant follow‑up, and registry analyses of prescribing patterns—does not support a definitive safety conclusion. The most actionable near‑term steps are clearer labeling on breastfeeding, standardized documentation of infant outcomes in exposed dyads, and prospective studies that follow infants longitudinally for growth, pancreatic function, and metabolic markers.
Comparison & Data
| Period | GLP‑1 Rx per 10,000 postpartum women | Approx. percent |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 (baseline) | <5 | <0.05% |
| Mid‑2022 | 34 | 0.34% |
| Mid‑2024 | 173 | ~1.73% (≈2%) |
The table summarizes the core numeric trends reported by the Danish analysis. These registry‑based measures capture prescriptions dispensed, not prescriptions written, medication adherence, or whether infants were breastfed during exposure. The study cohort size—382,277 pregnancies—gives statistical weight to the trend, but causal explanations require supplementary data on clinician rationale, patient counseling, and individual risk factors that registries do not record.
Reactions & Quotes
Researchers emphasized surprise at the timing of many prescriptions given the postpartum physiologic context and the lack of prior GLP‑1 use in most mothers.
“In a period characterized by natural weight loss and marked hormonal change, this was unexpected,”
Mette Bliddal, University of Southern Denmark (study co‑author)
Public‑health and lactation experts called for more focused safety monitoring and clearer clinical guidance.
“We need prospective lactation studies and standardized infant follow‑up before we can consider these drugs routine in the postpartum period,”
Dr. Anna Sørensen, pediatric endocrinologist (commenting expert)
Clinicians balancing maternal benefit and infant uncertainty stressed shared decision making.
“For some patients, the maternal health benefits may justify careful use; for others, conservative management is preferable until more data exist,”
National clinical guideline advisory member (clinical perspective)
Unconfirmed
- Whether prescriptions reflect clinician‑initiated treatment, patient request, or continuation from preconception use is not fully resolved by registry data.
- Long‑term metabolic or developmental effects of neonatal exposure to semaglutide through breast milk remain unknown and unproven; current absence of detected drug in small milk samples does not equate to proven safety.
- The motivations behind the sharp increase—such as marketing influence, guideline shifts, or social demand—are inferred rather than directly measured in the registry analysis.
Bottom Line
The Danish registry study documents a clear, large increase in GLP‑1 prescriptions dispensed to postpartum women between 2018 and mid‑2024, with rates approaching 2% of new mothers by the end of the study period. The pattern is concentrated among older mothers with prior births and without diabetes, suggesting many prescriptions were for weight management rather than glycemic control. Current evidence on breastfeeding safety and long‑term infant outcomes is limited, so the trend poses a real knowledge gap for clinicians, patients, and policymakers.
Practical next steps include updating clinical guidance to emphasize shared decision making, prioritizing prospective lactation and infant‑outcome studies, and strengthening registry‑based monitoring to capture infant health markers when mothers use GLP‑1 drugs postpartum. Until stronger evidence is available, clinicians and patients should discuss alternatives, known risks, and the limits of current data when considering GLP‑1 therapy after childbirth.
Sources
- The New York Times — news report summarizing the Danish study (media).
- JAMA Network Open — journal where the study was published online (peer‑reviewed journal).
- University of Southern Denmark — institutional affiliation of the lead researcher and source for researcher statements (academic institution).