Women Receiving Ozempic Injections Experience Side Effects
"Buttocks Sagging to the Point of Needing Fillers"
Cases have emerged of hair loss and sagging buttocks after receiving Ozempic, which has gained worldwide popularity as a "weight loss injection."
On the 9th (local time), the UK Daily Mail reported that two serious side effects have appeared in women who received the weight loss injection Ozempic. These are hair loss and the so-called "Ozempic body," referring to sagging buttocks.
The sagging buttocks phenomenon was brought to attention by Simon Ourian, a dermatologist who is also the personal physician of famous American celebrity Kim Kardashian. Ourian stated, "Patients who rapidly lost weight using Ozempic are experiencing a reduction in their buttocks size and sagging skin," adding, "Many patients have reached the point where they need to get fillers in their buttocks to cover up their unsightly sagging bodies." He referred to this phenomenon as the "Ozempic body."
On social media platforms (SNS), cases of such side effects after using Ozempic are increasingly being shared. One woman who lost 18 kg using Ozempic said, "Today, I talked with a colleague who also used Ozempic about how difficult it is to buy new jeans," adding, "Both of us lamented that our buttocks have completely disappeared." Another woman who lost 31 kg said, "I was shocked when I checked the condition of my buttocks after wearing a swimsuit," and "I am busy sorting out which clothes fit and which do not."
The buttocks consist of three large muscles called the gluteal muscles. During the rapid weight loss process using medication, if sufficient exercise and a high-protein diet are not combined, muscle loss can occur. Experts say that strength training exercises such as squats or lunges can revive sagging buttocks, but it takes more than a year for the gluteal muscles to recover.
Influencer Claudia Oshiri recently confessed to losing weight using Ozempic. [Image source: Claudia Oshiri social networking service (SNS) capture]
Hair loss is also a serious issue. Claudia Oshry, a comedian and influencer with 3.5 million followers, recently confessed that she had been receiving Ozempic injections for almost a year and "experienced severe hair loss." She said she was so embarrassed that she hid the fact she was using Ozempic. After successfully losing 30 kg in about a year, she experienced hair loss "like crazy." She responded quickly to the hair loss with supplements but said it took more than six months to return to normal.
A woman who lost 20 kg with Wegovy injections, similar to Ozempic, before her wedding is also troubled by hair loss occurring in clumps. She said, "There are only four months left until my September wedding, but my hair keeps falling out and my scalp has become very sensitive," adding, "I started oil therapy, but I am worried whether my condition will improve by September."
The medical community has not yet identified the exact cause of hair loss caused by Ozempic. However, it is believed that Ozempic may induce hair loss by causing changes in stress hormone levels such as cortisol. Another view is that hair loss occurs due to nutritional deficiencies caused by reduced food intake from Ozempic medication. The U.S. FDA announced that it is investigating reports of hair loss side effects since January and is verifying whether this phenomenon is directly related to Ozempic.
Ozempic is an injection developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Ozempic, containing the active ingredient semaglutide, was developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes but lowers blood sugar and suppresses appetite, resulting in weight loss effects. The obesity treatment drug with the same ingredient is marketed under the name "Wegovy." Weight loss injections including Ozempic have gained explosive popularity in countries such as the U.S. after celebrities like Elon Musk reported positive effects. Ozempic was originally approved only for diabetic patients, but some doctors secretly prescribe it to patients who want to lose weight. It has not been officially released in South Korea yet.
"Cases of sudden pregnancy after receiving Ozempic injections"
There have also been reports of women becoming pregnant suddenly after receiving Ozempic injections. As multiple such pregnancy cases have been reported, a new term "Ozempic baby" has emerged. On the 16th of last month, foreign media such as Fox News and Bloomberg reported cases of infertile women who unexpectedly became pregnant after receiving Ozempic injections.
Olivia, a woman living in Michigan, USA, became pregnant after receiving Ozempic. In an interview with Fox News, she said, "I got pregnant with my newly engaged boyfriend. The baby is due in October," expressing surprise, "It was really unexpected." Olivia is an infertile woman who had tried to conceive six times but failed due to "unidentified issues." She said, "Until now, I either failed to conceive or experienced miscarriage (fetal death after 20 weeks of pregnancy)," adding, "Fortunately, the baby I am carrying now is very healthy."
The exact mechanism by which the diet drug treats infertility has not been clearly identified, but some experts believe that rather than Ozempic itself having an effect on infertility, women who returned from overweight to normal weight regained their fertility.
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