Obesity affects 42% of reproductive-age women in the U.S. and has well-documented adverse effects on fertility. While GLP-1 receptor agonists have demonstrated significant efficacy in weight reduction, their role in preconception care remains unclear. This study aims to assess weight loss medication prescribing practices among fertility specialists and explore attitudes and barriers as it relates to the prescription of these medications. Understanding these practices is essential for optimizing patient-centered preconception care and encouraging consistency in the standard of care across the field.

A cross-sectional survey was distributed virtually and in-person to MD/DO/APRN/PA fertility specialists who attended the 2024 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress. The 15-item survey assessed provider demographics, prescribing patterns, beliefs regarding scope of practice, and potential barriers to prescribing weight loss medications. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze response patterns. Fisher’s exact test was performed to assess response variation between categorical variables.

The survey demonstrated a response rate of 17%. Among respondents, half (50%) of fertility specialists believed that prescribing weight loss medications falls within the scope of fertility care, but only 29% reported currently or previously prescribing weight loss medications as part of their practice. 41% were considering initiating prescriptions within the next 1-2 years. There was no statistically significant difference in practice patterns by practice location, practice setting, or number of years in practice. Key barriers to prescribing weight loss medications were lack of clear prescribing guidelines in the preconception period and uncertainty with the mechanism of action, safety, and monitoring practices of weight loss medication.

The prescription of weight loss medications among fertility specialists is currently uncommon, but interest in incorporating these therapies into patient care is growing. Despite this interest, significant barriers remain, including lack of medication familiarity and clear prescribing guidelines.