Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in Women with Type 2 Diabetes Before Pregnancy: Addressing the Dilemma in A Real-World Setting.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

To address the clinical dilemma of how best to counsel women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) regarding pregnancy. Animal studies raise concern for fetal loss, malformations and adverse fetal growth after GLP-1RA exposure. Nonetheless, three cohort studies and one prospective study including 2,994 women with T2D exposed to GLP-1RA in early pregnancy indicate no increased risk of malformations compared with unexposed pregnancies, and observational data in 168 GLP-1RA exposed pregnancies are reassuring regarding miscarriage and fetal growth. Women with T2D are advised to use contraception and to discontinue GLP-1RAs two months before planned pregnancy. Despite concerns in animal studies, GLP-1RA exposure in early T2D pregnancy has not been associated with increased risk of malformations. If a woman with T2D inadvertently becomes pregnant while using GLP-1RA, the existing human evidence does not support a recommendation of terminating pregnancy.