Ozempic Babies? The Effects of GLP-1 Agonists on Fertility

Abstract

I study whether GLP-1 initiation affects fertility and pregnancy outcomes among reproductive-age women with obesity using 2016-2024 Merative MarketScan Commercial claims. I document the size and composition of the GLP-1 candidate population, uptake among reproductive-age women, and medication use before, during, and after pregnancy. I then estimate effects on deliveries and related outcomes using an incident-user design and stacked cohort-specific difference-in-differences models with individual fixed effects to address endogenous treatment timing and fertility intent.