Women across the country have been bonding online over their “Ozempic babies” − surprise pregnancies while taking weight loss medications, despite being on birth control or having a history of fertility issues. Now, some of them say they’re experiencing intense symptoms such as extreme hunger and rapid weight gain after quitting these drugs cold turkey to protect their baby’s health.
Although hunger and weight gain are typical during pregnancy, these women say that the intensity of their symptoms is unlike that of their previous pregnancies. It’s unclear if pregnancy worsens weight loss medication withdrawal, but fertility and bariatric experts say hormonal changes associated with pregnancy could explain the fierce effects.
Drug manufacturers recommend women stop taking weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy. When a non-pregnant person quits these medicines, doctors typically help them wean off to mitigate side effects, but women who find out they're expecting must stop immediately. As more and more women become pregnant while taking weight loss drugs, experts recommend they talk to their doctors right away, especially if they’re taking drugs like Ozempic to treat diabetes.
When Ozempic and pregnancy symptoms collide
Amanda Brierley, 42, started taking semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) last year to treat her insulin resistance caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Within a month, her menstrual period returned “like clockwork” after several years of dysregulation. Then nine months later, Brierley learned she was pregnant, which was shocking news considering doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to conceive on her own following her last high risk pregnancy over two decades ago.
Medications like Ozempic, Mounjaro, WeGovy and Zepbound appear to boost fertility because the weight loss they induce corrects hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders; some of them may also reduce the efficacy of birth control pills, increasing chances of pregnancy. Brierley stopped taking semaglutide right away, per recommendations based on animal studies that found it could cause miscarriage and birth defects if taken while pregnant. A week later, she was possessed with an insatiable hunger: “I was a human garbage can. And I didn’t want sweets or anything. I wanted real food, like meats, cheese and other rich protein, which was completely different from my first pregnancy. I was like a caveman. I couldn’t stop. It was crazy.”
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