Keeping it Together: 'Ozempic babies' are surprising women

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. 

Hi, I'm Katie Camero, a health and wellness reporter with Paste BN. This week I interviewed reproductive and obesity medicine experts who said 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. 

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. 

Continue reading to learn more about why weight loss may boost fertility and how these drugs are interacting with birth control pills — then stick around for more content from my team.