Weight loss, not the drug, is behind unexpected pregnancies reported by women taking Ozempic, experts explain
04/12/2024 / By Zoey Sky
Ozempic is popular among women trying to manage their weight. Now, some women are claiming that the drug can also help with fertility issues.
Many women have shared their experiences of becoming pregnant while receiving Ozempic injections. Some shared that they have been struggling for years, while others have tried different futile fertility treatments and had resigned themselves to the idea of menopause.
According to one woman, she has struggled to conceive even after undergoing a series of fertility treatments for her last pregnancy. She thought that after turning 40 it would be difficult for her to get pregnant naturally. But after taking Ozempic, she was grateful for an unplanned but welcome pregnancy.
Another woman said she had been struggling with infertility for at least 14 years. However, after receiving Ozempic injections, she got pregnant after only two months.
There were also several stories from women taking birth control during the injections.
One woman with a long history of miscarriages and stillbirths finally stopped trying to conceive two years ago. Because she was taking birth control pills, she was surprised to find out that she was pregnant. She added that she took Ozempic for weight loss.
There are also videos on the social media platform TikTok featuring mothers and newly pregnant women sharing their “Ozempic babies” stories.
In a post on her TikTok account, Raven Rechelle, a 26-year-old American content creator, thanked Ozempic for her weight loss journey, which also became “a pregnancy journey.” Rechelle is married and a mother to a nine-year-old son.
She has always struggled with excess weight and her current pregnancy was unexpected. Rechelle found out she was pregnant while she was using the Ozempic drug during her dieting phase. (Related: LAWSUIT: Weight loss drug Ozempic blamed for causing woman to develop PERMANENT diarrhea, tooth loss.)
Obesity is linked to fertility problems, says expert
Dr. Gabriella Lieberman-Segal, an endocrinologist from the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, shared that she hasn’t personally heard of women in Israel who, “while taking Ozempic, unexpectedly became pregnant after suffering from infertility.”
While Lieberman-Segal has heard of similar cases, she believes the unexpected pregnancies are likely only indirectly related to weight loss.
Earlier studies have reported that obesity can result in fertility problems. Lieberman-Segal said she has seen many patients who, after unsuccessful attempts at conceiving, became pregnant after losing weight through dieting, medication or bariatric surgery.
This is because women with obesity often suffer from insulin resistance, which can decrease ovulation and affect the quality of their eggs.
Lieberman-Segal added that the hormone estrogen is produced in fat tissue. This means that the more fat cells in the body, the higher the estrogen levels, which can harm the lining of the uterus. Even when performing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments on women with obesity, the quality of the eggs is lower.
Obese women are more likely to experience gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, protein in the urine and health issues during pregnancy. As a result, the likelihood of the pregnancy surviving to term without complications is significantly reduced.
This is why gynecologists advise women with excess weight to lose weight if they want to conceive.
These factors could also help explain why there are many reports of women becoming pregnant while using weight loss drugs, especially because the injections enable significant weight loss in a relatively short time, such as 15 percent of a person’s body weight in the first year.
How did women on birth control get pregnant while taking Ozempic?
But how did women who were on birth control pills become pregnant while using these injections?
Experts explained that one of the common side effects of Ozempic injections is digestive system issues, such as accelerated bowel emptying and diarrhea. This means the drug can also sometimes negatively affect the absorption of birth control pills and reduce their effectiveness.
Ozempic is a medication centered around the active substance semaglutide, which was first approved for use in 2019.
Ozempic was initially designed for diabetes treatment. During clinical trials, the drug was observed to have a significant impact on weight loss because aside from lowering blood sugar levels, the treatment also caused appetite suppression. In 2021, Ozempic was also approved for obesity treatment through injections.
Health experts are warning against women taking the drug to conceive even though they are not overweight.
Dr. Yael Sofer of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center warned that if a slim woman takes weight loss drugs, she could quickly reach a state of malnutrition, which could be bad for her pregnancy.
Malnutrition in pregnant women can cause complications during pregnancy and birth defects in the fetus. Additionally, these medications are not deemed safe during pregnancy.
Sofer warned that women who are using them and planning to get pregnant are advised to stop taking the drugs at least two months before they start trying to conceive. She also said that there have been reports of birth defects in studies conducted on laboratory animals where the drugs were injected during pregnancy.
Watch the video below to learn more about Ozempic and how it can cause stomach paralysis.
This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.
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