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Women · Pregnancy

Peptides and pregnancy: what the labels say, and planning ahead

If you are trying to conceive, are pregnant, or found out you are pregnant while taking a peptide drug, this page sets out what each label says, word for word, what the human studies of accidental exposure have found, and what nobody knows.

Last updated November 3, 2026 · Reviewed by Grey Peptides Editorial Board · ✓ Every claim sourced · No products sold, no seller named

📋 Key takeaways

Weight-loss GLP-1s: stop when pregnancy is recognized. The Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda labels all say so, because weight loss offers no benefit in pregnancy and may cause fetal harm.146

Semaglutide: stop at least two months before trying. Three semaglutide labels set this washout in section 8.3.123

Accidental early exposure: in the largest study so far, the adjusted risk of major malformations after a GLP-1 drug was no higher than after insulin (relative risk 0.95, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.26).13

Research peptides: no label, no registry, no study. PubMed returns nothing for BPC-157, ipamorelin or CJC-1295 with pregnancy.16

On this page

  1. What each label says about pregnancy (section 8.1)
  2. Planning a pregnancy: the semaglutide washout
  3. Pregnancy registries
  4. What happened in women exposed by accident
  5. Research peptides and pregnancy: no data
  6. Other approved peptides
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Related on Grey Peptides
  9. Sources

What each label says about pregnancy (section 8.1)

The quotes below are the sentence in each label that tells a patient or prescriber what to do. They are copied from the current US label, and the build checks each one against the label text, so a revised label cannot leave an old sentence here. The animal findings behind them are in each label's full section 8.1.

From the FDA label (quoted word for word from the current US label)

ProductWhat the label saysLabel section
Wegovy (semaglutide)“Weight loss offers no benefit to a pregnant patient and may cause fetal harm.”section 8.11
Wegovy (semaglutide)“Discontinue WEGOVY in pregnant patients who are using it for weight reduction”section 8.11
Ozempic injection (semaglutide)“OZEMPIC should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.”section 8.12
Zepbound (tirzepatide)“Advise pregnant patients that weight loss is not recommended during pregnancy and to discontinue ZEPBOUND when a pregnancy is recognized”section 8.14
Mounjaro (tirzepatide)“MOUNJARO should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.”section 8.15
Saxenda (liraglutide)“When a pregnancy is recognized, advise the pregnant patient of the risk to a fetus, and discontinue SAXENDA”section 8.16
Trulicity (dulaglutide)“TRULICITY should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.”section 8.17
Vyleesi (bremelanotide)“Based on findings in animal studies, the use of VYLEESI in pregnant women may be associated with the potential for fetal harm.”section 8.18
Egrifta WR (tesamorelin)“EGRIFTA WR is contraindicated in pregnant women because modifying visceral adipose tissue offers no benefit in pregnant women and could result in fetal harm”section 8.19
Forteo (teriparatide)“Consider discontinuing FORTEO when pregnancy is recognized.”section 8.110
Tymlos (abaloparatide)“TYMLOS is not indicated for use in females of reproductive potential.”section 8.111
Imcivree (setmelanotide)“Discontinue IMCIVREE when pregnancy is recognized unless the benefits of therapy outweigh the potential risks to the fetus.”section 8.117

Two patterns stand out. The weight-management labels (semaglutide as Wegovy, tirzepatide as Zepbound, liraglutide as Saxenda) tell patients to stop, because there is nothing to gain from weight loss in pregnancy.146 The diabetes labels (Ozempic, Mounjaro, dulaglutide as Trulicity) weigh benefit against risk instead, because uncontrolled diabetes in pregnancy carries risks of its own.257 Tesamorelin is contraindicated in pregnancy outright.9 Abaloparatide is not indicated for anyone who could become pregnant.11

Planning a pregnancy: the semaglutide washout

Semaglutide stays in the body for weeks after the last injection. Its labels turn that into a planning rule:

From the FDA label (quoted word for word from the current US label)

ProductWhat the label saysLabel section
Wegovy (semaglutide)“discontinue WEGOVY in patients at least 2 months before they plan to become pregnant to account for the long half-life of semaglutide”section 8.31
Ozempic injection (semaglutide)“Discontinue OZEMPIC in women at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy due to the long washout period for semaglutide”section 8.32
Rybelsus tablets (semaglutide)“Discontinue RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets in women at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy due to the long washout period for semaglutide”section 8.33

Zepbound and Mounjaro carry no equivalent two-month sentence in section 8.3; their section 8.3 is about oral contraceptives (see contraception and GLP-1s).45 A 2026 review for obstetricians and gynecologists said women of reproductive age on these drugs need counselling about contraception and about stopping before conception.15 How long before conception to stop tirzepatide is a question for the prescriber (our reasoning: no label sentence sets it).

Pregnancy registries

Where a drug's makers run a pregnancy exposure registry, the label says so in section 8.1, with a phone number. Registering an exposure, even an accidental one, is how the human evidence grows.

From the FDA label (quoted word for word from the current US label)

ProductWhat the label saysLabel section
Wegovy (semaglutide)“There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to WEGOVY during pregnancy.”section 8.11
Zepbound (tirzepatide)“There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) during pregnancy.”section 8.14
Vyleesi (bremelanotide)“There will be a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to VYLEESI during pregnancy.”section 8.18

What happened in women exposed by accident

Because nobody would run a trial of a weight-loss drug in pregnant women, the human evidence comes from women who were taking a GLP-1 drug when they conceived.

  • Nordic countries, the US and Israel (2024). In infants of mothers with type 2 diabetes, major congenital malformations were found in 8.3% after GLP-1 exposure around conception and 7.8% after insulin; adjusted for confounders, the relative risk was 0.95 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.26). The authors called it reassuring but said confirmation was needed.13
  • Six teratology information services (2024). 168 pregnancies exposed in the first trimester: major birth defects 2.6%, against 2.3% in women with diabetes on other drugs and 3.9% in women with overweight or obesity. Pregnancy losses were not increased. The authors called the sample limited.14
  • Systematic review (2026). Across 36 studies, early exposure was not consistently linked to malformations, fetal growth restriction, stillbirth or neonatal death; data on use through the whole pregnancy remain limited.12

These studies cover early, usually unplanned exposure. None tested continued use through pregnancy, and none studied a research peptide (our reasoning, from their designs as described in the abstracts).

Research peptides and pregnancy: no data

A product sold as a "research chemical" has no label, so there is no section 8.1 to read. We searched PubMed on November 3, 2026: BPC-157, ipamorelin and CJC-1295 with pregnancy or lactation returned no records, and retatrutide returned one dermatology review.16 None of those records is an animal reproduction study of the kind the approved labels report in detail.16

So for these compounds the honest answer to "is it safe in pregnancy?" is that no one has looked. That is different from "it is safe". Add the uncertainty about what a grey-market vial actually contains, covered in our grey-market guide, and the case for stopping before trying to conceive is stronger, not weaker (our reasoning).

Other approved peptides

Bremelanotide (PT-141, sold as Vyleesi) reports too few pregnancies in its trials to judge, and animal findings that suggest possible fetal harm.8 Teriparatide's label says to consider stopping when pregnancy is recognized.10 Setmelanotide is to be stopped when pregnancy is recognized unless the benefit outweighs the risk.17 After the birth, the breastfeeding page covers what each label and LactMed say about milk. Peptides used in pregnancy on purpose, such as oxytocin in labour, are covered on our women's health hub.

Frequently asked questions

How long before trying to conceive should I stop semaglutide?

The Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus labels all say at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy, because of semaglutide's long washout period.

Does tirzepatide have a washout period before pregnancy?

Its labels set no two-month rule. Zepbound's label says to stop when pregnancy is recognized, and its contraception section advises a non-oral or added barrier method around starting and each dose increase. Ask the prescriber how far ahead to stop.

Were babies harmed in women who took a GLP-1 in early pregnancy?

The largest study so far found the adjusted risk of major malformations was no higher than with insulin (relative risk 0.95). The studies are observational and cover early exposure only.

Women, pregnancy and peptides hub Breastfeeding Contraception and GLP-1s PCOS Menopause Peptides and women's health Peptides, GLP-1s, pregnancy and breastfeeding PCOS and peptides Peptides for menopause GLP-1 drug interactions Starting a GLP-1

Sources

Labels are cited by their DailyMed set and version and quoted from the cached text; studies by PMID, checked on PubMed. All read November 3, 2026.

  1. Wegovy (semaglutide) US prescribing information (Novo Nordisk; DailyMed set ee06186f, version 19, effective June 18, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  2. Ozempic injection (semaglutide) US prescribing information (Novo Nordisk; DailyMed set adec4fd2, version 20, effective June 1, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  3. Rybelsus tablets (semaglutide) US prescribing information (Novo Nordisk; DailyMed set 27f15fac, version 14, effective January 30, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  4. Zepbound (tirzepatide) US prescribing information (Eli Lilly; DailyMed set 487cd7e7, version 40, effective August 28, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  5. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) US prescribing information (Eli Lilly; DailyMed set d2d7da5d, version 40, effective August 27, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  6. Saxenda (liraglutide) US prescribing information (Novo Nordisk; DailyMed set 3946d389, version 22, effective February 25, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  7. Trulicity (dulaglutide) US prescribing information (Eli Lilly; DailyMed set 463050bd, version 62, effective June 16, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  8. Vyleesi (bremelanotide) US prescribing information (Cosette Pharmaceuticals; DailyMed set f1d0c1b5, version 1, effective November 13, 2025), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  9. Egrifta WR (tesamorelin) US prescribing information (Theratechnologies; DailyMed set 839334d3, version 2, effective July 29, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  10. Forteo (teriparatide) US prescribing information (Eli Lilly; DailyMed set aae667c5, version 44, effective August 3, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  11. Tymlos (abaloparatide) US prescribing information (Radius Health; DailyMed set 712143d9, version 19, effective August 11, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed
  12. Ozbek L, et al. Safety of GLP-1 and Dual GLP-1/GIP Receptor Agonists in Preconception, Pregnancy, and Lactation: A Systematic Review of Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Outcomes. Diabetes Obes Metab 2026;28(6):4503-4528. PMID 41885132. Source
  13. Cesta CE, Rotem R, Bateman BT, et al. Safety of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Other Second-Line Antidiabetics in Early Pregnancy. JAMA Intern Med 2024;184(2):144-152. PMID 38079178. Source
  14. Dao K, Shechtman S, Weber-Schoendorfer C, et al. Use of GLP1 receptor agonists in early pregnancy and reproductive safety: a multicentre, observational, prospective cohort study based on the databases of six Teratology Information Services. BMJ Open 2024;14(4):e083550. PMID 38663923. Source
  15. Chauhan I, et al. What obgyns need to know about GLP-1 receptor agonists. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 2026;38(5):366-373. PMID 42108205. Source
  16. PubMed searches run November 3, 2026 through NCBI E-utilities: 'BPC-157 AND (pregnan* OR lactation OR breastfeeding)' 0 records; 'ipamorelin AND (pregnan* OR lactation)' 0; 'CJC-1295 AND (pregnan* OR lactation)' 0; 'retatrutide AND (pregnan* OR lactation)' 1 (PMID 42562129, a dermatology review). Source
  17. Imcivree (setmelanotide) US prescribing information (Rhythm Pharmaceuticals; DailyMed set 70c3ccf7, version 14, effective April 1, 2026), sections 7, 8 and 12. DailyMed

This section reports what labels, LactMed and published studies say; it is not medical advice, and it does not replace the obstetrician, midwife, prescriber or pharmacist who knows your history. Grey Peptides sells nothing, links to no seller and rates none. If you are pregnant and have taken something you are unsure of, the MotherToBaby service (1-866-626-6847 in the US) answers questions about exposures in pregnancy and breastfeeding.