Introduction
Getting pregnant is one of the most magical times in a woman’s life. As blissful a time as it may be, it’s also a very delicate time. What happens if you get pregnant while taking semaglutide brands such as Ozempic or Wegovy? Or if you plan on trying to get pregnant while taking it?
In this article, we provide information on the risks and potential complications of semaglutide intake before, during, or after pregnancy.
Is semaglutide safe to take while pregnant?
The short answer is no. Used to treat type 2 diabetes or obesity, semaglutide comes with a host of potential risks, side effects, and complications. This holds true, especially for women who are currently pregnant or plan on getting pregnant.
Semaglutide works by mimicking gut-based GLP-1, triggering insulin release when blood sugar levels are high or medication is not properly controlling it. Because the drug also delays gastric emptying, it makes people feel fuller for longer and curbs appetite, ultimately promoting weight loss.
Common side effects
As semaglutide works in the gut, its most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, and abdominal pain. Your doctor may start you on small doses to work your way up to bigger doses for symptom management.
The more serious side effects of semaglutide injections include allergic reactions, hypoglycemia, pancreatitis, kidney problems, and thyroid c-cell tumors.
Considering these, pregnant women must not take semaglutide, whether subcutaneously (injecting under the skin) or orally in tablet form.
Semaglutide and pregnancy
According to MotherToBaby.org, every pregnancy begins with a 3three to 5five percent chance of developing birth defects in offspring. This is the “background risk.” If exposure increases the chance of birth defects, this will affect the body part currently undergoing development at the time. In the U.S., the risk of severe birth defects and miscarriage is approximately 2-4 percent and 15-20 percent, respectively.
Expectant women also put themselves and their unborn children at risk of miscarriage, birth defects, or low birth weight. Animal studies have shown how taking semaglutide while pregnant can trigger pregnancy loss, fetal problems, or growth problems in infants.
It is hard to determine whether the drug causes human miscarriages as factors influence pregnancy loss like health conditions or medication. If you took it before finding out you were pregnant, tell your doctor ASAP.
Weight loss and pregnancy
It’s important to note that semaglutide helps promote weight loss, something which is not wise while pregnant. During pregnancy, mothers must ensure they have a healthy and nutritious diet as they support their child’s developmental needs.
Losing significant weight while pregnant has been linked to low birth weight and may also affect the mother’s health. Shedding pounds while pregnant has also been linked to a higher risk of delivering small-for-gestational-age (SGA) babies.
The U.S. FDA strongly advises against the use of semaglutide while pregnant, as research is limited on potential effects. While there have been some animal studies, there are no trials on pregnant women as this wouldn’t be medically ethical. Moreover, no scientific data supports that it plays a role in affecting an unborn child’s future behavior or learning development.
For instance, in a study, researchers exposed pregnant rodents to semaglutide. They found that the offspring’s growth was stunted and these had deformed bones and internal organs. Pregnant monkeys, meanwhile, suffered more early miscarriages and gave birth to smaller offspring with exposure to the drug.
The pregnant animals in these studies also ate less and dropped a significant amount of weight. It’s not evident if semaglutide specifically caused the birth defects or if this was an effect of weight loss. However, these animal studies suggest that taking it may pose serious risks to fetal survival and development.
Semaglutide and breastfeeding
Experts do not recommend semaglutide at all to pregnant or breastfeeding women. Medicine’s effects have a way of seeping into breast milk and transferring to a baby when nursing.
A mother’s milk absorbs only 0.4 to 0.1 percent of semaglutide and might not harm the baby. However, it still comes with a set of risks and potential complications. This holds true, especially if the infant is premature, with immature digestive and immune systems.
Semaglutide use and pregnancy plans
According to Ozempic’s website, you should inform your doctor if you’re planning to get pregnant. You should also stop taking the drug two months in advance. According to the U.S. FDA, this is how long it takes for your body to clear itself of a drug.
Wegovy’s medication guide advises healthcare providers to halt use as soon as they recognize that a patient is pregnant. They must also educate the patient about the potential risks that taking Wegovy may bring to the pregnancy.
The medication guide also confirmed a pregnancy exposure registry to monitor outcomes in pregnant women exposed to semaglutide. Both pregnant women and healthcare providers are urged to contact manufacturer Novo Nordisk.
Semaglutide and fertility
It is not known whether taking semaglutide can make it harder for women to get pregnant.
Dr. Alex Robles, an American reproductive endocrinologist, affirms that Ozempic and Wegovy could be beneficial for women trying to conceive. This is applicable if she is suffering from obesity or insulin resistance. Robles noticed that some patients struggling with weight have resorted to taking Ozempic in the hopes of conceiving.
Weight loss as an enabler for improved fertility
In an interview, Dr. Robles noted that semaglutide may not directly influence or enhance fertility. However, they can pave the way for a woman to condition her body to a more “optimal state” to conceive.
Nevertheless, Dr. Robles also noted that Ozempic may affect levels of important reproductive hormones like luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Research suggests a link between obesity and infertility, with overweight women suffering from hormonal imbalances and irregular menstrual cycles. It cannot be denied that even minimal weight loss can regulate hormones and stimulate ovulation. This would be a big help for couples trying to conceive via IVF as it aids in egg retrieval.
Using Ozempic or Rybelsus for weight loss
Currently, Novo Nordisk has no clinical data that looks into the effect of semaglutide on fertility treatments. The Danish pharmaceutical company reiterated that it does not promote, suggest, or encourage the off-label use of its products.
“We trust that healthcare providers are evaluating a patient’s individual needs and determining which medicine is right for that particular patient,” read part of its statement to Today.
On male fertility
Could semaglutide also impact men’s fertility? A study on animals revealed that there were no changes in male fertility after taking the same dose for humans.
Again, there are no studies supporting notions of semglutide’s effects on reproductive health, including those of men. It is also unknown whether males on semaglutide could have offspring with birth defects. It’s unlikely that sperm donors exposed to the drug, for instance, could pose risks to a pregnancy.
Semaglutide and the use of contraceptives
On the flip side, there are also women concerned about the potential of semaglutide to affect the function of contraceptives.
Does it cancel out birth control? No. A 2015 study tested how well females absorbed oral contraceptives ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel with a semaglutide treatment. The researchers found that it did not affect the efficacy of contraceptive pills.
Conclusion
Pregnancy is a special but delicate time in a woman’s life. With it are extra precautions, given the potential risks that any food, drink, product, or medication may make its way to the fetus.
Only animal studies have investigated potential risks of semaglutide use while pregnant or when planning to get pregnant. Findings show an increased risk of miscarriages, developing birth defects and malformations, or developmental issues in animals’ offspring.
Despite this data, it cannot be used to conclude the same risks for pregnant women. It is also not ethical to conduct studies on humans, hence, the lack of existing information. Hence, it is not recommended to take semaglutide at any given time while pregnant or when planning to conceive.
On male fertility, meanwhile, semaglutide does not seem to have any profound impact on the efficacy of birth control.
Given the link of obesity to infertility, experts see its potential in helping women with condition their bodies to conceive. As the drug promotes weight loss, obese women see it as a solution to regulate reproductive hormones and stimulate ovulation.
Should you or anyone you know get pregnant or are pregnant while taking semaglutide, seek expert advice immediately. It is advised to discontinue use to minimize any potential complications for both the mother and the unborn child.
Image by drobotdean on Freepik
