As an increasing number of women who have taken the drug report unplanned pregnancies, Zoe Beaty investigates the phenomenon – and its dangers
AMANDA BRIERLEY SPENT the first trimester of her pregnancy on Reddit. Most days she found herself frantically looking for answers and reassurance that she and her baby would be OK. ‘I’d type, “got pregnant on Ozempic”, “got pregnant on semaglutide”, “what are the side effects of Ozempic on my baby?” I just couldn’t rest,’ she says. ‘I was told I’d never have the chance to be pregnant again – the thought of losing it was too much.’
Just over 21 years ago, shortly after giving birth to her first son, Brierley, now 41, was diagnosed with an ‘incompetent cervix’ – a condition that causes the cervix to open, weaken or shorten too early – and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Doctors said she would likely never have another natural, successful pregnancy. Eventually, she gave up on the dream of expanding her family. Then, at 40, she started taking Ozempic.
Semaglutide, a weekly injection that trades under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, is only licensed in the UK for type 2 diabetes, but it can be prescribed ‘offlabel’ – ie, for another reason, such as weight loss – or obtained privately for those who can afford the £150-200 per month fees. In the US, prescriptions for the drug hit 9 million last year, a 300% rise in less than three years.
‘I started taking Ozempic for weight loss,’ explains Brierley. ‘The effects of PCOS left me feeling unfeminine – I was overweight, I was suffering hair loss... I wanted to feel like myself again.’ Within one month, Brierley’s period, absent for many years, returned ‘like clockwork’. Nine months later she had lost weight – and missed one period. She was pregnant.
Brierley, who lives in Florida with her boyfriend, is part of the so-called Ozempic baby boom – a rapidly growing number of women reporting unplanned pregnancies while taking the drug. The Facebook group ‘I got pregnant on Ozempic’ has more than 650 members and TikTok is rife with stories of couples conceiving despite being told it would never happen for them (along with some women who say they were using contraception). For those facing infertility, these stories might depict a wonder drug of sorts. But experts are warning that it’s no such thing.
‘Ozempic is not a fertility drug,’ says Adam Balen, an NHS consultant in reproductive medicine and author of The Fertility Book. ‘Actually, it can be very dangerous in pregnancy. For instance, because it’s designed to reduce body weight, you can understand why it might have the same effect on a developing baby. Preclinical trials on rats and monkeys suggested it could cause foetal abnormalities, such as skeletal problems, problems with the internal organs and [lack of ] growth.
