Trying to Conceive on a GLP-1: When to Stop Semaglutide or Tirzepatide

What the Wegovy and Zepbound labels say

From the US prescribing information for Wegovy (revised 06/2026) and Zepbound (revised 08/2026). Ozempic and Mounjaro have their own labels; ask your prescriber about the one you take.

Why semaglutide needs a 2-month gap

Semaglutide is built to last: the Wegovy label gives it an elimination half-life of about 1 week and says it remains in the circulation for about 5 to 7 weeks after the last dose. The label's 2-month stop before a planned pregnancy is there to cover that tail.

Tirzepatide clears faster, with a half-life of about 5 days in the Zepbound label, and the label does not set a waiting period before trying. It does say to stop as soon as a pregnancy is recognized. When to take your last dose is a decision to make with your prescriber, not a gap to guess.

Birth control while you are still taking it

Not ready to try yet? Then the opposite problem matters: an unplanned pregnancy while on the drug. The Zepbound label explains that tirzepatide delays stomach emptying, which may reduce the effect of oral hormonal contraceptives. The delay is largest after the first dose, so the label asks people on the pill to switch to a non-oral method, or add a barrier method such as condoms, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.

The 2023 international PCOS guideline, whose recommendations ASRM publishes, goes further for all GLP-1 medicines: it says clinicians should make sure women taking them use effective contraception whenever pregnancy is possible, because pregnancy safety data are lacking.

Compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide

Compounded versions are not FDA-approved, as the FDA points out, so they do not come with an FDA-approved label of their own. They contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name drugs, so tell your prescriber about any form you take, including a compounded or microdose plan, and agree on a stop date before you start trying.

What about the male partner?

Neither label's section on patients of reproductive potential gives a stop rule for men: the Wegovy section addresses planned pregnancy, and the Zepbound section addresses contraception. That is not a reason to skip the topic. List every medication for both of you when you see a clinician, because a fertility workup reads both partners.

A practical plan for stopping

• Talk to the prescriber of your GLP-1 first, and pick a last-dose date. On Wegovy, that date is at least 2 months before you start trying.
• Keep reliable contraception until then. On tirzepatide, remember the 4-week rule for the pill after starting and after every dose increase.
• Start folic acid. ACOG and ASRM recommend 400 micrograms a day for women of average risk who could become pregnant.
• Plan for your weight after stopping: the PCOS guideline notes a high risk of weight regain once a GLP-1 is discontinued. See stopping a GLP-1 and weight regain.
• Do not use a GLP-1 as a fertility treatment. The PCOS guideline recommends using anti-obesity medicines for reproductive outcomes only in research settings.
• If you then try for 12 months (under 35) or 6 months (35 or older) without a pregnancy, ASRM advises a fertility evaluation, for both of you.

Trying to conceive after a GLP-1 with Gala Fertility

The Gala Fertility intake asks each partner to list current medications with dose and frequency, so a GLP-1 is on your clinician's desk before any plan is made. You start with a $29.99 introductory video meeting with our care team. If you go ahead, both of you are tested: her bloodwork and pelvic ultrasound near you, and his semen analysis with a kit at home. A clinician reviews every result with you on video and, if it is right for you, prescribes letrozole or clomiphene one month at a time, with a check-in after every cycle.

Already a Gala weight-loss patient? Tell your GLP-1 provider you plan to conceive, so your stop date and your fertility plan line up. More on the medicines: letrozole for fertility and semaglutide vs. tirzepatide.

This article is general education, not medical advice. Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine without talking to your prescriber.

More Gala Fertility guides

• AMH levels by age
• At-home semen analysis
• How long to try before fertility testing
• letrozole vs. Clomid
• letrozole for fertility
• Clomid prescription online
• trying to conceive with PCOS
• are at-home fertility tests accurate
• male infertility causes
• fertility test cost
• does insurance cover fertility testing
• AMH test cost
• semen analysis cost
• best at-home fertility tests
• fertility insurance by state

Sources

1. Novo Nordisk. WEGOVY (semaglutide) prescribing information, revised 06/2026. FDA-approved label.
2. Eli Lilly. ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) prescribing information, revised 08/2026. FDA-approved label.
3. Teede HJ, et al. Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2023.
4. ACOG and ASRM. Prepregnancy counseling. Committee Opinion No. 762. 2019.
5. Practice Committee of ASRM. Definition of infertility: a committee opinion. 2023.
6. FDA. FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own health.