Plan before trying to conceive
Tell your prescriber if you plan a pregnancy, think you might be pregnant or change your contraception. Weight-management treatment needs a review before pregnancy. Do not carry on without one. Start with the current product information for your medicine, because the advice differs between products.
For established products, MHRA patient guidance says to stop semaglutide at least two months before a planned pregnancy and tirzepatide at least one month before. Newer products sometimes have different instructions. Never borrow one medicine's washout period for another. A tablet you take daily does not necessarily leave your body faster.
Why a washout period matters
Some medicines stay in the body for a long time after the last dose. The recommended gap before trying to conceive allows for this. You count the gap from your last dose, and you may still need contraception during it.
Ask for the plan in writing. The plan should give your last intended dose, contraception advice and who to contact if your circumstances change. If you take an oral contraceptive, check whether the medicine, or any vomiting and diarrhoea, means you need extra precautions. Ask both questions and get a separate answer to each.
If you get pregnant unexpectedly
Contact your prescriber or maternity team promptly. They will advise on stopping the medicine and arrange your care. Exposure to the medicine does not prove harm has happened. Information may be limited, so an individual assessment helps you far more than frightening stories online.
If the medicine is part of your diabetes treatment, you need another plan to manage your glucose. Pregnancy does not remove the need to control diabetes safely. Keep taking insulin and any other necessary treatment while you wait for advice on the GLP-1 prescription.
Support after you stop
Your appetite and weight may change once you stop. Focus on good nutrition and joined-up care as you prepare for pregnancy. Avoid severe dieting to make up for the change. Ask whether a dietitian or a specialist diabetes team should be involved.
Write down the exact product, dose and date of your last dose for every clinician involved. If an older general webpage disagrees with the current product label, ask your prescriber to settle the difference. Treatment in this area changes fast. Base each decision on the current information for your own medicine and your clinical situation. A blanket rule copied from another brand will not fit.
Foundayo has a shorter stopping interval
The current UK Foundayo information says to stop orforglipron at least three weeks before a planned pregnancy. That is shorter than the semaglutide and tirzepatide intervals above. A shorter gap does not mean the medicine is safer in pregnancy. The gap reflects the product's own instructions.
Confirm the exact formulation and latest label with your prescriber, and keep using contraception for the advised period. If you become pregnant sooner than planned, get individual advice promptly. The washout number alone will not tell you what the exposure means.
Sources
Your own medicine leaflet and prescriber come first. A source from another country does not mean the same rule applies in the UK.
- MHRA: GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes gov.uk
- College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare: GLP-1 agonists and contraception cosrh.org
- NICE: A guide for prescribing medicines to manage overweight and obesity nice.org.uk
- Mounjaro UK SmPC, updated 8 September 2026 medicines.org.uk
- Wegovy tablets UK Summary of Product Characteristics medicines.org.uk
- Foundayo UK Summary of Product Characteristics medicines.org.uk
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