An Ozempic boom could be on the horizon amid reports that doctors have begun prescribing weight-loss drugs to women struggling to get pregnant.
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy have not been approved to treat infertility, but a growing number of women are taking to social media to talk about their surprise pregnancies with the drug.
Doctors still do not have conclusive evidence that it is a viable treatment for infertility and do so without evidence that successful anti-obesity drugs do not harm the fetus, experts warn.
But anecdotal evidence suggests that women in their 40s, prepared for menopause or taking birth control, become pregnant soon after starting the medications.
The medications are believed to correct hormonal imbalances, and losing weight has been associated with a higher chance of conceiving.
Ozempic and Wegovy, both brands of the drug semaglutide, have been hailed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk, and have been shown to help people lose up to 15 percent of their body weight.
Specialists suggest that losing weight can increase fertility, which is why semaglutide is related to pregnancies. Marcela Romero of Florida told Good Morning America that she became pregnant two weeks after starting Mounjaro.
Melanie Cree, director of the PCOS clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, told Bloomberg: ‘The ‘oops’ babies in Ozempic and Wegovy are happening everywhere.
“It’s very exciting, but it’s a little scary because we’re moving forward without all the data.”
In addition to causing weight loss and fat loss, which affects estrogen levels, the type of medication is thought to affect how oral contraceptives are absorbed by the body.
Dr. William Dietz, a physician and chair of the STOP Obesity Alliance at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, said, “This may mean that birth control medications are metabolized or ineffective.
“I don’t think we know the impact of these medications on fetal development.”
Forty-year-old Torria Leggett said Bloomberg who thought she couldn’t get pregnant.
The North Carolina social worker started taking Novo’s Ozempic to treat obesity, then switched to Lilly’s Mounjaro, which is approved for diabetes but is often prescribed for obesity.
When she lost weight, she found out she was pregnant.
She said: Weight loss, that’s probably what drove it. ‘He couldn’t believe it.’
Ms. Romero had been struggling with infertility for three years before becoming pregnant shortly after taking the medications.
Romero, a food and travel influencer, told the New York Times that she feared Mounjaro may have caused side effects. ‘My first thought was, well, this is great and all, but do we know if there are any complications with the pregnancy? Is there a defect that children are born with? she said
And Marcela Romero started taking Mounjaro, made by Eli Lilly, to lose weight and keep her blood sugar levels low before starting her IVF journey, as she wanted to give herself the best possible chance at life.
I had been trying to conceive for three years before considering IVF.
Just two weeks after starting the medication, she discovered she was pregnant. She is now the mother of a seven-month-old daughter.
“He’s very happy, very smiling all the time,” Ms. Romero told Good Morning America.
Meanwhile, Amanda Brierley, 42, said USA Today She started using semaglutide, the main ingredient in Ozempic, last year to manage her insulin resistance related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Researchers continue to discover different uses for medications. Although they have not been conclusively shown to help with PCOS, they generate higher levels of androgens (male hormones) in the body, which can cause excess hair growth, weight gain, acne, changes in mood, ovarian cysts, insulin resistance and irregular menstrual cycles.
Within a month, her menstrual cycle resumed with remarkable regularity after years of irregularities. Then, nine months later, Ella Brierley discovered she was pregnant, a surprise given that doctors had told her she would not be able to conceive naturally after her previous high-risk pregnancy more than 20 years earlier.
The hashtag Baby Ozempic has been viewed on TikTok more than 250,000 times, and women living with infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (a condition in which cysts form on the ovaries and cause a hormonal imbalance) talk about their miracle babies.
These types of reports are motivating healthcare providers to consider GLP-1 medications as a treatment option for polycystic ovary syndrome, a major contributor to infertility among women in the United States.
One user said: ‘I lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise and accidentally got pregnant with twins. This all makes sense!’
Another said: ‘I am currently 14 weeks pregnant after taking Ozempic for 3 months! It took us 2 years to conceive our little one with a fertility clinic and letrozole.’
Dr. Matthew Macer, a Los Angeles fertility specialist, said, “The truth is, any weight loss occurs when you are overweight or obese.” If you can lose five percent of your body weight, there are many studies that show a huge benefit for fertility. Many times, just getting ovulation back to regular.”
Drug manufacturers recommend that women stop taking weight-loss medications at least two months before a planned pregnancy. Doctors often help women reduce their doses to avoid weight regain, a problem commonly seen among people who stop taking the medications.
However, animal studies on the effects the drugs could have on pregnancy have given doctors pause.
In studies, pregnant rats given Ozempic experienced fetal development problems, such as growth problems and embryonic mortality. Similarly, female rabbits and cynomolgus monkeys also showed early pregnancy loss or structural abnormalities, along with significant maternal weight loss.