Story at a glance
- Some Ozempic patients say they’ve gotten pregnant while using the injectable drug, despite being on birth control or dealing with infertility for years.
- Doctors say there are a couple of reasons these pregnancies could be happening.
- Still, experts caution the drugs should not be used to increase the chances of having a baby.
(NewsNation) — Some Ozempic patients say they’ve gotten pregnant while using the injectable drug, despite being on birth control or dealing with infertility for years.
“I got pregnant on Ozempic and was on the pill! Baby boy is due in June,” one person commented on a TikTok. “My surprise Ozempic baby is almost 4 months old and thankfully very healthy!” another wrote.
Deb Oliviara told TODAY she got pregnant while on Ozempic after experiencing multiple miscarriages and a still birth. She admitted her use of birth control at the time was inconsistent.
Doctors say there are a couple of reasons these pregnancies could be happening. Board-certified neurologist Tom Pitts explained on NewsNation’s “Morning in America” that Ozempic can “hyper metabolize your birth control, so it’s not in your system as long as you think it is.”
Ozempic and other injectable weight loss drugs work by slowing down your digestion. That can also slow the absorption of drugs you take orally – like a birth control pill – and make them less effective.
Ozempic has another impact that may make it easier to get pregnant: weight loss. Obesity increases estrogen levels, which can make reproduction harder for some people. If someone loses a lot of weight, their hormones could rebalance, facilitating fertility.
“We have several conditions like PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome, which create insulin resistance, and that’s why you’re infertile. So by correcting that, you promote fertility,” Pitts said.
“Excess weight can really influence the hormonal balance, so if you lose the weight and that normal hormone balance is restored, and you start ovulating, that can make you more fertile,” said physician Lucky Sekhon in an interview with TODAY.
However, Pitts noted Ozempic can’t and shouldn’t be relied on to treat fertility issues.
“If you have ovarian failure or something like that, it won’t wake up the reproductive system, but it will clear obstacles in the way,” Pitts said.
Allison Rodgers, an OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, told USA Today that while drugs like Ozempic could make it easier to get pregnant, they should not be used to increase the chances of having a baby.
“There could be dangerous consequences if taken while pregnant given the drugs can linger in your system,” Rodgers explained.
According to USA Today, tests carried out on monkeys, rats and rabbits revealed that the injections can lead to miscarriage and birth defects if they are used during pregnancy.
Wegovy, a drug with the same active ingredient as Ozempic, has set up a “pregnancy registry” online. “The goal of the Wegovy Pregnancy Registry is to help healthcare providers, patients, and researchers better understand the safety of Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) and other weight loss medications during pregnancy,” the website states.
Those using Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs who don’t want to get pregnant may want to consider using a second form of birth control if they rely on oral contraceptives alone to prevent pregnancy.
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