People are now using the popular weight loss drug Ozempic to help their polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes enlarged ovaries with small cysts.
Gracie McGraw, 26, the daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, revealed that she has been taking Mounjaro, another version of the drug, to ease her symptoms.
Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, is an FDA-approved prescription drug for people with type 2 diabetes, but some doctors have started prescribing it off-label for weight loss.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) considers PCOS an obesity-related condition, leading some medical professionals to understand why Ozempic and other brands can relieve symptoms.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Gracie McGraw, 26, revealed she uses Mounjaro, another version of the drug, to ease her PCOS symptoms
Gracie McGraw (far right) with mother (second from left) Faith Hill, father Tim McGraw and sisters at the 2015 TIME 100 Gala in New York City
Ms McGraw said in an Instagram comment last week: ‘I used Ozempic last year, yes. I now use a low dose of Mounjaro for my PCOS and for sports.’
She previously said, “I’m on medication for PCOS and it has regulated my hormones and metabolism.”
Ms McGraw first revealed her diagnosis in March last year. She said, “Just wanted to share really quickly that I was recently diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).
“To get the right diagnosis you would need two of the five features of PCOS, and I had four.
‘During my appointment with my endocrinologist, I realized that it is possible [have] been a factor in my weight issues, so we decided to try a drug to regulate my body more normally and create the tools to keep my body and myself healthy as I age.
“I’m learning to cope with the new blemishes, but I don’t think I would have ever allowed myself to go to a doctor’s appointment like this unless I had taken the right steps toward my mental health,” because as much as physical health is important, mental health goes hand in hand.”
She added, “The drug I’m on has in a good way given me a body I haven’t had in years (maybe ever?). It’s weird to see how your body can change so quickly, but I’m finding new ways to love her and new things to love her every day.
“I was prescribed Qysmia and Ozempic (Ozempic is also given to diabetics, I’m not diabetic so I don’t know how it works in that regard).”
Like semaglutide – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – Mounjaro targets the receptors for the hormone GLP-1 to induce feelings of fullness
Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian and an expert in obesity and PCOS, recently told Good Morning America that Mounjaro and Ozempic can both help address insulin resistance, which can cause PCOS
Qsymia is a combination drug of phentermine and topiramate used to treat obesity.
Semaglutide – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – targets the receptors for the hormone GLP-1 to induce feelings of fullness even when patients have not eaten.
Mounjaro has a similar effect and also targets receptors for the hormone GIP, which works in the same way.
PCOS affects one in ten women in the US.
Polycystic ovaries have a large number of harmless follicles up to 0.3 inches in size. They are underdeveloped sacs where eggs grow, but the sacs cannot release the egg, meaning ovulation does not occur.
Symptoms include irregular or no periods, difficulty getting pregnant, excessive hair growth (usually on the face, chest, back, and buttocks), weight gain, and hair loss on the head.
The exact cause of PCOS is not known, but it is believed to be related to abnormal hormone levels.
One theory is that it is related to resistance to insulin. This means that the body’s tissues reject insulin’s effects on controlling the amount of sugar in the blood.
Elevated levels of insulin cause the ovaries to produce excess testosterone, which hinders follicular development
Insulin resistance can cause weight gain, which can worsen PCOS symptoms.
Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian and an expert on obesity and PCOS, recently told Good Morning America that Mounjaro and Ozempic can both help address insulin resistance, which can cause PCOS.
She said, “It’s not necessary that we take the drugs to treat PCOS, but the drugs may be helpful for one of the symptoms of PCOS, which is the actual weight gain and the hormonal drive to eat carbohydrates because of the insulin resistance.”
“We’ve learned over the last 20 years that PCOS is actually an insulin-carbohydrate metabolism problem called insulin resistance, meaning the body produces more insulin in response to carbohydrates.”
Dr. Kumar added, “And what people often forget about insulin is that it’s a fat storage-promoting hormone, so the more insulin your body produces, the better you are at storing fat.”
Dr. Mary Jacobson, chief medical officer at telemedicine company Hello Alpha, told DailyMail.com that the company treats a large cohort of women with PCOS for being overweight.
She said: ‘Ozempic and Mounjaro are effective in inducing weight loss and improving insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS.
“Weight loss improves ovulation and regulates the menstrual cycle and increases pregnancy rates and decreases endometrial cancer rates.”