‘Ozempic Babies’ on the Rise: Why Women Are Getting Pregnant While Taking the Medication

Women are reporting unexpected pregnancies while taking the weight loss medication — even if they’ve struggled with infertility or are using birth control

Women are reporting that they’re getting pregnant while taking the popular medications Ozempic and Wegovy — even if they’re on birth control, have struggled with infertility, or are older and thought they were past their childbearing years.

“Since my last pregnancy required a lengthy fertility process, I assumed, at 40! It couldn’t be. Well, I’m pregnant! It wasn’t what we were planning but a welcome surprise,” shared one Redditor on the Ozempic subreddit.

And she’s not alone: The subreddit is full of similar stories: “I’ve been infertile for 14 years and after 2 months of taking OZ I am now pregnant… so shocking to say the least.”

“I’ve struggled with infertility issues because of PCOS/ insulin resistance/obesity and while I’m still overweight, I finally got a positive test!” shared another.

“I was on birth control and this pregnancy was very much unplanned. I have a long history of miscarriages and a stillbirth and had decided to stop trying to conceive two years ago, and during that time started Ozempic and lost 70 pounds,” wrote another.

TikTok is also rife with videos of moms sharing their “Ozempic Baby” journeys. “Thanks to Ozempic…this went from a weight loss journey to a pregnancy journal,” shared content creator Raven Rechelle.

And one TikToker, who says she got pregnant on Ozempic, said that her doctor mentioned she might be more fertile on the drug.

Related: Tracy Morgan Says He Gained 40 Lbs. on Ozempic After Learning to 'Out-Eat' the Weight Loss Drug

“I've actually seen a few patients of mine that have come in after a couple of months of usage of the medication for weight loss and have these surprise babies or surprise pregnancies,” Dr. Iman Saleh, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and Director of Obesity Medicine at the Bariatrics Department at Northwell, tells PEOPLE.

The active ingredient in these medications is semaglutide, which works in the brain to impact satiety. Under the brand name Ozempic, it’s FDA-approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, and it’s branded as Wegovy for the treatment of obesity. It is the same molecule that is used for both indications — but it has risen in popularity, especially among celebrities, as a quick weight-loss .

But does the drug really increase fertility?

Yes — in a roundabout way, Dr. Saleh tells PEOPLE.

“Even if it's a 5, 10 lbs. weight loss, this can actually have patients resume ovulation and be able to get pregnant,” Dr. Saleh tells PEOPLE.

“Our fat cells produce estrogen and estrogen can have a negative effect on our ovaries in terms of decreased or dysfunction of ovulation. It can also have negative effects on our endometrial lining,” Dr. Saleh says.

“Once you lose that weight, even if it's very slight, they become more fertile and get pregnant.”

There may also be an interaction between how the weight-loss medication works and how birth control is processed in the body, she tells PEOPLE.

"There is a component with the decreased gastric emptying or the slowing of the gut. As we use these medications to make people make fuller, the absorption changes in our body. And therefore the absorption of patients on birth control can affect the efficacy of the birth control.”

The reports of women getting pregnant on the shots are so widespread that the manufacturer of the medications, Novo Nordisk, set up the FDA-approved Wegovy Pregnany Registry, where patients and providers can share details of their pregnancies while taking the medication.

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“Pregnancy or intention to become pregnant were exclusion criteria in our trials with semaglutide in both obesity and type 2 diabetes,” Novo Nordisk told PEOPLE when contacted for a statement.

“There are therefore limited clinical trial data with semaglutide use in pregnant women. However, information related to pregnancy appears in Section 8.1 & 8.3 of the Prescribing Information for both Ozempic and Wegovy.”

A study is currently underway to evacuate the safety of Wegovy exposure during pregnancy, and is expected to be completed in August 2027.

Related: Ozempic FAQ: All About the Drug Being Used for Weight Loss — Yes, You Will Likely Gain Weight When You Stop Taking It

However, the Wegovy website notes “May cause fetal harm. When pregnancy is recognized, discontinue Wegovy.”

And as Dr. Saleh says, ”A lot of the people are using it for weight loss in order to get to a certain weight before getting pregnant. We do recommend they have to stop the medication two months prior.”

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Read the original article on People.