By Caitlin Tilley, Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com
20:37 22 Mar 2024, updated 21:56 22 Mar 2024
- A Facebook group called ‘I got pregnant on Ozempic’ has over 450 members
- The weight loss drugs may be reducing the efficacy of birth control pills
- READ MORE: US scientists move one step closer to an EXERCISE PILL
Women are accidentally getting pregnant while taking weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro despite being on birth control.
A Facebook group called ‘I got pregnant on Ozempic’ has over 450 members, while people on Reddit threads and TikTokers share notes on how they unexpectedly fell pregnant while taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic.
Doctors told USA Today they think this could be down to two things. Firstly, the fact that the weight loss corrects hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders, which increases fertility.
Secondly, that the weight loss drugs may be reducing the efficacy of birth control pills, therefore increasing the chances of pregnancy.
‘I got pregnant on Ozempic & was on the pill! Baby boy is due in June,’ one person commented on a TikTok video.
‘My surprise Ozempic baby is almost 4 months old and thankfully very healthy!’ someone else said.
Deb Oliviara, 32, began her course of Ozempic the day after Thanksgiving to shift extra weight that had been making her feel down.
She was taking a birth control pill, though not consistently, but was not worried because had a history of fertility issues.
Two months after she started taking Ozempic, and the same week she reached her goal weight, Ms Oliviara found out she was pregnant.
‘We were open to the idea, but definitely not trying,’ she told USA Today.
‘It was very much a surprise and the only pregnancy, aside from my first, that didn’t come after a loss.’
It is Ms Oliviara’s sixth pregnancy with only two living children, after she loss one baby in the first trimester, another in the second and had 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 warned that women should not use weight loss drugs to try and get pregnant.
Research done on rats, rabbits and monkeys have showed that the weight loss medications can result in miscarriage and birth defects if taken while pregnant. No studies have been done on humans.
Women should stop taking the weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy, Ozempic’s drugmaker Novo Nordisk recommends.
Dr Allison Rodgers, an OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, told USA Today: ‘It’s true that, from a scientific perspective, these medications may make it easier for people to get pregnant.
‘But people need to be careful because there could be dangerous consequences if taken while pregnant given the drugs can linger in your system.’
Dr Utsavi Shah, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology specializing in obesity medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told USA Today there is nothing in particular about the medications that is making people more fertile, other than the way they interact with birth control pills.
She told USA Today: ‘It’s their effect on weight loss that’s helping regulate their menstrual cycles, thereby increasing their chances of getting pregnant.’
Fat cells release estrogen, meaning the more fat a person gains, the more estrogen they’ll have.
Additional estrogen can halt regular menstruation and ovulation, which then makes it more difficult to become pregnant.
Studies carried out in test tubes have found that tirzepatide, Mounjaro and Zepbound’s active ingredient, lessens the effectiveness of oral contraception such as birth control pills, according to the drugs’ labels.
Mounjaro and Zepbound make the stomach take longer to clear out, which can impact how oral medications are absorbed in the body.
Semaglutide (the ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy) does not have as big of an effect on stomach emptying, so it does not contain any warnings about oral contraceptives.
Dr Shah said there was no need to panic.
‘If you’re using effective birth control and on these weight loss medications, the risk of unintended pregnancy is quite low,’ she told USA Today.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
