Baby boom due to Ozempic?
Weight loss injections such as Ozempic or Wegovy are globally marketed as miraculous cures. Now, reports are piling up of women who unexpectedly became pregnant while taking these medications. How is that possible?
Easy and effective weight loss via injection: For overweight individuals, it's the great hope. The medication Semaglutid is also known as Ozempic or Wegovy - famously acclaimed and hyped as a weight loss injection for stars.
In reality, both substances are almost identical diabetes medications. They contain the same active ingredient. Wegovy, however, is much higher dosed and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a weight loss medication.
The rapid weight loss - actually an side effect - has made the drug so desirable that there have been supply shortages. Many diabetes patients, who need the medication on prescription, have barely managed to get their doses. In Europe and the USA, even fake Ozempic vials are in circulation, including in Germany. The World Health Organization has only recently issued a global warning about this.
Ozempic pregnancy registry
The drug is making headlines again. In social media, there are numerous reports of women who became pregnant unexpectedly while undergoing Ozempic therapy. A US woman reported on TikTok that she stopped taking the medication as soon as she found out she was pregnant. The baby is doing well. The Washington Post also reported on this case and writes that the woman had been taking Ozempic for three weeks before the positive pregnancy test.
There are no exact figures yet on how many unintended pregnancies have occurred during the use of the drug, according to the article. Only anecdotal reports, for example in Facebook groups. The topic is also increasingly appearing in German internet forums.
"In America, the manufacturer, Nova Nordisk, has set up a registry where women who have become pregnant while taking this medication can register," says Dr. Helge Jens, plastic and aesthetic surgeon at the Domhof Clinic Aachen and managing director of the German Society for Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, in the ntv podcast "Learned something new again". In Germany, however, this phenomenon is not yet widespread: "Here it's not a big theme yet".
Overweight women less fertile
It is little known how Semaglutid and other diabetes or weight loss medications affect women who want to get pregnant or are pregnant while taking them. This is due to the fact that they were excluded from early clinical studies with the drug.
However, a connection can be explained: "Fat tissue produces hormones that make pregnancy more difficult to allow," explains Jens. The medications reduce this hormone production. Through weight loss and the reduction of the Body Mass Index, one becomes easier to get pregnant, so the expert.
Women with obesity often suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder, from which five to ten percent of women in the childbearing age in Germany are affected - overweight women more than normal weight women. They have irregular menstrual cycles and have difficulty getting pregnant.
Women with obesity may have gone years without an ovulation. When they lose weight, the cycle can regulate itself - ovulation suddenly sets in again. A weight loss of five to ten percent already has an effect.
Another possible reason for unexpected pregnancies: Weight loss medications can impair the effectiveness of contraceptives, at least indirectly. The manufacturer does not assume that Semaglutide makes the birth control pill less effective. However, the medication works by slowing down the emptying of the stomach. This can theoretically affect the absorption of the pill.
"This is a desired effect during weight loss, but it could potentially influence the absorption of the pill," explains Jens in the podcast.
Women who do not want to be surprised by a pregnancy should use an additional contraceptive method instead of the birth control pill during application.
The greatest concern for women who become pregnant despite Semaglutide is whether the medication poses a risk to the fetus. According to Novo Nordisk, there are no corresponding studies. "Pregnancy or the intention to become pregnant were exclusion criteria in our Semaglutide studies for both obesity and type 2 diabetes," the Washington Post quotes the manufacturer.
Studies have been conducted on animals: Rat tests show that the fetus is poorly nourished - Semaglutide is toxic. It can also lead to malformations. Anomalies and miscarriages were observed in studies with rabbits and monkeys.
Discontinue Ozempic in a timely manner
Although there are reports of women giving birth to healthy babies despite taking Semaglutide, the manufacturer recommends discontinuing the weight loss medication as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. And it should not be started at all if a woman is planning to become pregnant. "If you want to get pregnant, you should stop using these weight loss medications at least two months in advance because they may have an unknown influence on the formation of new life," Jens explains. Women should ideally stop taking all medications before and during pregnancy.
Furthermore, the medication should be avoided during breastfeeding as well. The active ingredient was found to pass into the milk in animal experiments. A risk for the breastfed child cannot be ruled out.
For women with a desire to have children, weight loss therapies, such as Semaglutide, can be a hope. If they lose weight, it is more likely that their wish will be fulfilled.
- Given the concerns about Ozempic and pregnancy, some advocates suggest that individuals considering pregnancy should consider alternative methods of weight loss, such as diet and exercise, rather than relying on medication like Ozempic or Wegovy.
- Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, has conducted animal testing on the effects of the medication during pregnancy. These studies showed that Semaglutide can lead to malformations and anomalies in the fetus.
- In response to the growing concern about unexpected pregnancies while using Ozempic, Novo Nordisk has set up a pregnancy registry in the United States where women who have become pregnant while taking the medication can register. However, such a registry does not yet exist in Germany.
