Woman says she got pregnant while on Mounjaro: What to know about weight loss drugs and pregnancy
Marcela Romero said she struggled with fertility issues, trying for three years to conceive with no luck.
In November 2022, Romero, of Fort Myers, Florida, said she started taking the medication Mounjaro for weight loss.
Around two weeks after starting the medication, Romero said she discovered she was pregnant.
She said she discontinued Mounjaro after her pregnancy was confirmed, and nine months later, in September 2023, gave birth to a healthy daughter.
"She's very happy, very smiley all the time," Romero told "Good Morning America" of her now 7-month-old daughter.
Romero is part of a growing number of women reporting they were able to become pregnant after taking Mounjaro or other drugs used for weight loss, including Ozempic and Wegovy.
The drugs have become popular over the past two years for use for weight loss and diabetes, but now women are speaking out about using the medications while trying to conceive.
Anna Parker, of Peachtree City, Georgia, told "GMA" she began taking Mounjaro in January in hopes of losing weight before starting in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, to become pregnant.
"I spoke to my gynecologist, and she agreed that I could take it and hopefully quickly lose weight," Parker said. "So far I've lost about 12 pounds, and I'm really looking forward to hopefully making a smooth transition to implanting the baby."
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe the medication "off-label" for weight loss, as is permissible by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Wegovy, a medication that contains the same main ingredient, semaglutide, as Ozempic, is FDA-approved for weight loss.
In November, the FDA approved Zepbound as a weight loss management treatment for people with obesity, or those who are overweight with at least one related underlying condition, such as high blood pressure -- the same prescribing guidance as Wegovy. As a diabetes drug, Zepbound is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, as the two medications contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide.
The medications work by slowing down movement of food through the stomach and curbing appetite, thereby causing weight loss.
Side effects of the drugs can include severe nausea and constipation.
While there is not yet any clear evidence that these drugs are the cause of pregnancy, these effects could be correlated to women being at a healthy weight that improves chances for fertility.
In addition, the drugs can slow gastric emptying and make any oral medications, including contraceptives, less effective, which increases the risk of an unintended pregnancy, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a board-certified OBGYN and obesity medicine physician, and ABC News' chief medical correspondent.
"We just don't have data on the use of GLP-1 agonists in a pregnant population so we always err on the side of caution in terms of looking at the risks of birth defects," Ashton said.
While some women may find success in losing weight on the medications and then becoming pregnant, both doctors and the drugs' manufacturers do not advise taking the medications while pregnant.
"We do not know exactly what the effect is going to be on the fetus, and so for that reason there is a general recommendation that women stop taking the medications for at least two to three months prior to the time that they conceive," Dr. Rick Paulson, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Southern California, told "GMA."
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, suggests stopping the medications at least two months before a planned pregnancy due to how long the drug stays in the system.
Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound, says patients should tell their healthcare provider if they become pregnant while on the medications, noting the impact on the unborn baby is "not known."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also says in its safety profiles of these drugs that they should not be taken during pregnancy, noting there is "insufficient data" available.
The FDA also explains that the drugs could cause weight loss, and that "weight loss offers no benefit to a pregnant patient and may cause fetal harm."
The FDA recommends that people discontinue the medications at least two months before they plan to become pregnant.
Going off of the medications should be done under the supervision of a medical provider, just as when you start the medications.
A person who becomes pregnant unexpectedly while taking one of these drugs should contact their healthcare provider, who can help them transition off the medication and make sure they are receiving proper maternal care.
