(USA Today) Women are getting pregnant, in most cases unintentionally, they say, while taking weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, despite being on birth control or dealing with years of fertility issues.
Facebook groups, Reddit threads and TikTok videos are connecting women who are pregnant with or already had an “Ozempic baby” or “Mounjaro baby,” as they have come to be called, and want to share their surprise pregnancy experiences.
“I got pregnant on Ozempic & 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, 32, started taking Ozempic the day after Thanksgiving to lose excess weight that had been affecting her mental health. She wasn’t consistent with taking her birth control pill, but that didn’t concern her much because she has a history of unidentified fertility issues that has made it difficult to get pregnant.
Just two months after starting the medication, and the same week she hit her goal weight, Oliviara learned she was pregnant. “We were open to the idea, but definitely not trying,” she said. “It was very much a surprise and the only pregnancy, aside from my first, that didn’t come after a loss.”
This is Oliviara’s sixth pregnancy with only two living children. She has had a first trimester loss, second trimester loss and a stillbirth. Now 10 weeks along, Oliviara and her baby are healthy.
Reproductive and obesity medicine experts told USA TODAY that they’re also noticing the trend in their offices, which they say is likely happening for two reasons. First, weight loss is correcting hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders and thus boosting fertility. Second, certain drugs may be reducing the efficacy of birth control pills, increasing the chances of pregnancy.
Yet, under no circumstances should women use weight loss drugs to get pregnant, experts warn. Studies on rats, rabbits and monkeys showed that these medications, if taken while pregnant, can lead to miscarriage and birth defects. (No studies have been done on humans.) Drug manufacturers recommend women stop taking weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy.
“It’s true that, from a scientific perspective, these medications may make it easier for people to get pregnant,” said Dr. Allison Rodgers, an OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois. “But people need to be careful because there could be dangerous consequences if taken while pregnant given the drugs can linger in your system.”
Why weight loss drugs may boost fertility
Decades of research have established strong connections between obesity, metabolic disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and fertility issues, so it isn’t too surprising to see that weight loss medications — which can help some people drop up to 20% of their body weight — are helping many women with these conditions get pregnant, said Dr. Utsavi Shah, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology specializing in obesity medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“These weight loss medications are game changers for women with PCOS or infertility, but there’s nothing about them specifically that’s making people more fertile, aside from their interaction with birth control pills,” Shah said. “It’s their effect on weight loss that’s helping regulate their menstrual cycles, thereby increasing their chances of getting pregnant.”
Hayley Glatfelter, a 27-year-old from Texas, got pregnant in November four months after beginning semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic). She started taking the drug to lose weight and treat her insulin resistance associated with PCOS — a hormonal disorder that causes weight gain, irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, and in some cases, fertility problems.
