Preterm birth risk is not higher for women without diabetes who were taking GLP-1 receptor agonists around the time of conception, researchers say.

Few studies have looked at pregnancies and GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs), which are currently TGA category D: drugs that potentially cause fetal malformations or irreversible damage.

Last month, Danish researchers published a study in Human Reproduction Open that used prescription and birth data to identify 529 women — including 211 with diabetes — who filled a prescription for semaglutide or liraglutide within eight weeks of an estimated conception date.

Compared with propensity score-matched pregnant women without a GLP-1 RA script, preterm birth was the only obstetric outcome associated with the drugs.