Women accidentally become pregnant while taking weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, despite using birth control.
A Facebook group called “I got pregnant on Ozempic” has more than 450 members, while people on Reddit threads and TikTokers share notes about how they unexpectedly became pregnant while taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic.
Doctors think this could be due to two things. First, the fact that weight loss corrects the hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders, thereby increasing fertility.
Second, that the weight loss medications may decrease the effectiveness of the birth control pill, increasing the chance of pregnancy.
One TikToker revealed how she got pregnant while taking Ozempic. She said she quit as soon as she realized it
Weight loss corrects hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders, increasing fertility
‘I got pregnant from Ozempic and was on the pill! The baby boy is due in June,” someone commented on a TikTok video.
‘My surprise Ozempic baby is almost 4 months old and thankfully very healthy!’ said someone else.
Deb Oliviara, 32, started her Ozempic regimen the day after Thanksgiving to shift the extra weight that was making her feel blue.
She was taking a birth control pill, but not consistently, but was not concerned because she had a history of fertility problems.
Two months after starting Ozempic, and the same week she reached her goal weight, Ms. Oliviara discovered she was pregnant.
“We were open to the idea, but certainly not trying,” she said USA today.
‘It was a big surprise and the only pregnancy, apart from my first, that didn’t come after a loss.’
It is Ms Oliviara’s sixth pregnancy with just two living children, after she lost a baby in the first trimester, another in the second trimester and suffered a stillbirth.
She is currently ten weeks pregnant and both mother and baby are healthy.
Reproductive and obesity medicine experts said they are seeing the trend in their offices but cautioned that women should not use weight-loss drugs to try to conceive.
Women should stop taking the weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy, advises Ozempic’s drugmaker Novo Nordisk
Research in rats, rabbits and monkeys has shown that the weight loss drugs can lead to miscarriage and birth defects if taken during pregnancy. No studies have been done in humans.
Women should stop taking the weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy, advises Ozempic’s drugmaker Novo Nordisk.
Dr. Allison Rodgers, a gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, told USA Today, “It’s true that, from a scientific perspective, these drugs can make it easier for people to get pregnant.”
‘But people should be careful as there can be dangerous consequences if taken during pregnancy as the drugs can linger in your system.’
Dr. Utsavi Shah, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology who specializes in obesity medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said there is nothing special about the drugs that make people more fertile, other than the way they handle birth control pills.
She said: ‘It is their effect on weight loss that helps regulate their menstrual cycle, increasing their chances of becoming pregnant.’
Fat cells release estrogen, meaning the more fat a person gains, the more estrogen they will have.
Extra estrogen can prevent regular menstruation and ovulation, making it more difficult to become pregnant.
Studies conducted in test tubes have shown that tirzepatide, the active ingredient of Mounjaro and Zepbound, reduces the effectiveness of oral contraceptives such as birth control pills, according to the medications’ labels.
Mounjaro and Zepbound make it take longer for the stomach to empty, which can affect how oral medications are absorbed into the body.
Semaglutide (the ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy) does not have much of an effect on gastric emptying and therefore contains no warnings about oral contraceptives.
Dr. Shah said there was no need to panic.
“If you use effective birth control and take these weight-loss medications, the risk of an unintended pregnancy is quite low,” she said.