Cases of Pregnancy Reported Consecutively Among Women with Infertility
Experts Say "Possibly Due to Weight Loss"
Claims have emerged that the 'diet drug' Ozempic could be used as a treatment for infertility, drawing significant attention. In the United States, where a diet craze is sweeping the nation, there have been so-called 'Ozempic baby booms,' where women who took the drug or received injections suddenly became pregnant.
Cases of Infertile Women Becoming Pregnant After Injections Gain Attention... Nicknamed 'Ozempic Babies'
On the 16th (local time), foreign media such as Fox News and Bloomberg highlighted cases of infertile women who unexpectedly became pregnant after receiving Ozempic injections. Ozempic is a weight loss injectable drug developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. It has been reported that some women who lost weight after receiving Ozempic injections suddenly became pregnant. On social media platforms like TikTok, these pregnancies are sometimes referred to as 'Ozempic babies.'
Olivia, a woman living in Michigan, USA, is a representative case of pregnancy after receiving Ozempic. In an interview with Fox News, she expressed surprise, saying, "I conceived a child with my newly engaged boyfriend. The baby is due in October," adding, "It was truly unexpected." Olivia is an infertile woman who had attempted pregnancy six times but failed to conceive due to an 'unidentified issue.' She said, "Until now, I either failed to conceive or experienced a miscarriage (fetal death after 20 weeks of pregnancy)," and added, "Fortunately, the baby I am carrying this time is very healthy."
Unlike infertility, which is the inability to conceive due to a clear cause, infertility refers to cases where pregnancy fails for unknown reasons. However, the number of infertile women who have successfully conceived after receiving Ozempic injections is increasing.
It has been reported that cases of infertile women becoming pregnant after taking Ozempic are increasing.
Possibility That Returning to Normal Weight Range Restored Fertility Gains Traction
The mechanism by which the diet drug treats infertility has not been clearly identified. However, some experts emphasize the possibility that rather than Ozempic directly treating infertility, women who returned from being overweight to a normal weight range regained their fertility.
Karin Hammarberg, a researcher in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University in Australia, wrote in the academic blog 'The Conversation' that "Obesity affects the hormonal balance that regulates the menstrual cycle," pointing out that "Women with a body mass index (BMI) over 27 have a three times higher chance of failing to ovulate and thus not becoming pregnant compared to women within the normal weight range." Additionally, women with diabetes also have a lower chance of pregnancy compared to normal women. Ozempic is used as a diabetes treatment in countries like Australia.
Researcher Karin explained, "Weight loss can improve hormonal imbalance issues such as irregular menstruation, which may increase the chances of pregnancy in infertile women," adding, "Weight loss and metabolic improvements caused by (diet drug use) are likely the reasons behind these 'unexpected pregnancies.'"
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