Thousands of people who take Ozempic for weight loss swear by its effectiveness, but for many women it turns out that it also has an unexpected benefit.
It helped them while they were taking the diet pill, to get pregnant, even when they didn’t expect it.
Many of these women, the Daily Mail reports, had chronic issues with their fertility.
The British newspaper cites the case of a Florida woman who had been trying to get pregnant for three years. Shortly before resorting to the extracorporeal solution, she took Mounjaro (similar in action to Ozempic) to keep her weight and blood sugar down. The result: She managed to conceive and now has a seven-month-old baby girl.
But why can taking the drug lead to a pregnancy?
The key is in the relationship between body weight, therefore fat, and fertility.
Many overweight women have reduced fertility, say experts who stress that losing weight can increase the likelihood of ovulation. In fact, the risk of infertility for overweight women is up to three times higher than for those of normal weight. This is because fat cells produce estrogen, which affect the cycle and ovulation.
It is not, of course, the only reason. There are doctors in the US who also recommend Ozempic to women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is one of the leading causes of infertility in women.
However, the article continues, semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, may affect the action of contraceptives.
Because Ozempic delays stomach emptying, it can to delay the absorption of the contraceptive pill by the organization. Vomiting and diarrhea that may occur after taking Ozempic also affect the absorption of contraceptives.
The recommendations of experts
In any case, experts warn that conception when nutrition is not stable can be harmful to the developing fetus. They suggest that women who lose large amounts of weight and are planning to have a child consider taking nutritional supplements, such as high-dose folic acid, which protects against birth defects.
For its part, pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic, advises women to stop taking weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy.
Research in rats, rabbits and monkeys has shown that weight loss drugs could lead to miscarriage and birth defects if taken during pregnancy.
However, a Swedish study published in December found that there was no increase in birth defects among women with type 2 diabetes who used the drugs in very early pregnancy compared to those who took insulin.
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