A new study reveals that pregnant women who stopped taking popular slimming injections, such as Ozempic before or at the beginning of pregnancy, experienced weight gain, and had an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy and the risk of premature birth.
The study was conducted by researchers at Massachusetts Brigham General Hospital in the United States, and the results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association “JAMA” on November 24, and the Eurek Alert website wrote about it.
“The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP1 agonists) has increased dramatically, but recommendations indicate stopping them before pregnancy due to insufficient information about their safety in fetuses,” said Dr. Jacqueline Maya, lead researcher and pediatric endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Brigham and Children’s Hospital.
“We sought to evaluate how this pause affects weight gain and pregnancy outcomes,” she added. The team analyzed the electronic health records of 1,792 pregnant women within the Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham Health Care System between 2016 and 2025, particularly among women with obesity.
Diabetes and high blood pressure
Women who stopped taking GLP1 receptor agonists before or at the beginning of pregnancy gained an average of 2.3 kilograms more during pregnancy than those who did not use weight-loss medications.
The group of women who used GLP1 agonists had an increased risk of excessive weight gain (excessive weight gain) by 32%, the risk of developing diabetes by 30%, the risk of developing high blood pressure disorders by 29%, and the risk of premature birth by 34%.
No differences were observed in the risk of high or low birth weight, length of birth, or cesarean section.
Dr. Camille E. said: “Additional studies are needed on the balance between the benefits of GLP1 agonists before pregnancy and the risks associated with discontinuing them during pregnancy,” said study co-author Bao, an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-director of the Gestational Diabetes Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“We need to do more research to find ways to help manage weight gain and reduce risks during pregnancy when medications are stopped,” she added.