Several health practitioners confirm that Ozempic, also known as Semaglutide, is a potent medication for managing diabetes as well as promoting weight loss.
However, doctors are cautioning women who are trying to conceive against using this weight loss drug.
Latest research findings suggest that using Semaglutide weight loss medication while trying to get pregnant may potentially harm the pregnancy and the child after birth.
The drug Semaglutide was initially created to address type 2 diabetes.
Recently, medical professionals have approved it as a medication for weight loss.
The drug is currently available in the US. Women who have used the drug have shared their experiences regarding the effects of Semaglutide on pregnancy. However, it's important to note that this has not yet been approved by medical professionals. It's always best to be forewarned and forearmed.
Ying Cheong, a reproduction medicine specialist at the University of Southampton, has advised that Semaglutide medication can cause undesirable effects on pregnancy.
Taking the medicine while attempting to conceive could lead to pregnancy complications and abnormalities in children after birth. Therefore, women who are trying to get pregnant are advised not to take it.
In a test carried out on some lactating rats, the rats were given Semaglutide and part of the drug was found in the rat's breast milk.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, further stated that the risk of Semaglutide effect on pregnancy is high, saying, "Semaglutide should not be taken by pregnant women, and its risk to a breastfed infant cannot be overlooked" both pregnant and breastfeeding mother's should abstain from it".
However, other women also shared that the Semaglutide effects of pregnancy had little or no impact on them.
A mother who shared her experience on TikTok said: "I already thought I was not fertile, it took my hubby four years to have our first child, we never had any contraception pills but we just couldn't conceive [..] But I got the Semaglutide medication and I got pregnant."
Another woman who was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome shared how she struggled to conceive a child for two years. However, she was delighted to find out that she got pregnant a mere five months after starting the Ozempic medication.
When asked about the potency of the drugs for fertility, Novo Nordisk says that it is not yet clear how effective the use of Semaglutide is on fertility in women.
Professor Tan Tricia, a diabetes consultant, has stated that there is no approval yet for the clinical results on women trying to conceive.
However, tests conducted on breastfeeding animals indicate that the child would have abnormalities after birth, which is why it is recommended that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers avoid using these drugs.
A nutrition scientist at the University of Oxford, Dr Nerys Asbury, advised women to avoid Semaglutide for fertility treatments.
"The drugs should not be used as medication for fertility until proper research is carried out", the scientist stated.
"Until the research approves safe and effective for fertility, it should not be used as one."