Ozempic (semaglutide) is an FDA-approved medication for Type 2 diabetes in adults. But it’s also used off-label for weight loss. Some people taking Ozempic have noticed another effect: a boost in fertility. This has led to an increase in surprise pregnancies, known online as “Ozempic babies.”

At the same time, people are wondering: Is Ozempic safe during pregnancy? The short answer is that we don’t know yet. Studies haven’t been done in pregnant humans. So, the safety of Ozempic in pregnancy remains unclear.

Read on to learn what we do know so far — and what you should know if you take Ozempic and are planning to be pregnant soon.

How does Ozempic work?

Ozempic is a type of medication known as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist. A similar medication — Wegovy (another form of semaglutide) — is FDA approved for weight management. Both are injectable and only available by prescription.

These medications work by mimicking the effects of GLP-1, which is a natural gut hormone. GLP-1 tells your body to release insulin after you’ve eaten a meal, which lowers your blood sugar levels. It also keeps your liver from releasing more sugar. So, when you take Ozempic, it triggers a similar reaction in your body. This is why GLP-1 agonists can help people with Type 2 diabetes overcome insulin resistance and keep their blood sugar under control.

GLP-1 agonists also affect other parts of the body. They slow down how fast your stomach empties. They can also affect the part of your brain that controls hunger. These actions help you feel full after you’ve eaten or make you want to eat less. These effects are why Ozempic and Wegovy can cause weight loss.

Is it safe to take Ozempic during pregnancy?

It’s not clear whether it’s safe to take Ozempic during pregnancy. The available clinical studies didn’t include pregnant participants. So there’s no clear evidence that the medication is safe to use during pregnancy.

Ozempic falls under the FDA’s pregnancy category C. This means animal studies with Ozempic have shown potential harm to the fetus. But there aren’t enough human studies to be able to say how Ozempic will affect your baby.

Makers of Ozempic say it should only be used during pregnancy when benefits clearly outweigh the risks to the developing fetus. They point out that poorly controlled diabetes during pregnancy can also increase the risk of serious birth defects, preterm delivery, and pregnancy loss.

There are rare, specific cases where the benefits outweigh potential risks. In these instances, a healthcare professional may recommend that you continue taking Ozempic during your pregnancy. However, this isn’t typical. In fact, most experts recommend taking birth control while you’re taking Ozempic so you don’t unexpectedly become pregnant.

What are the risks of taking Ozempic during pregnancy?

As we mentioned above, there’s very little data available on how injectable weight loss medications like Ozempic affect human pregnancy.

Animal studies show that Ozempic use during pregnancy has been associated with birth defects and pregnancy loss in rats and rabbits. We don’t yet know how this translates to humans. But these findings raise concerns about a potential link between Ozempic, pregnancy, and birth defects.

Animal data can predict how humans will respond to a medication. But the link isn’t always perfect. It’s not clear if Ozempic use during pregnancy will increase the risk of major birth defects or other health problems for most people. There aren’t any planned clinical trials on whether it’s safe to use Ozempic during pregnancy.

The FDA has asked the makers of Wegovy to keep a registry of people who’ve been unintentionally exposed to the medication during pregnancy. This will help researchers understand how the medication affects pregnant humans. But this data won’t be available until after 2027.

When to stop taking Ozempic before trying to get pregnant

You should stop taking Ozempic at least 2 months before trying to become pregnant. It takes Ozempic this long to completely leave the body.

Most people need to gradually lower their Ozempic dose and start a new medication that’s safer during pregnancy in order to keep their diabetes under control. You may need to add this transition timeline into your timeframe if you’re planning to become pregnant.

What should you do if you become pregnant while taking Ozempic?

If you discover you’re pregnant while on Ozempic, stay calm and contact your healthcare team immediately to adjust your treatment safely. They can help you transition to another medication that’s safe to use during pregnancy. This will ensure that your diabetes remains under good control so you can have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

The potential risks can be scary. But you can have a healthy pregnancy if you stop taking the medication as soon as you find out you’re pregnant.

There’s evidence that most people who were exposed to GLP-1 agonists early in pregnancy go on to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. One study looked at people who took semaglutide (the generic form of Ozempic and Wegovy) during their first trimester, before they knew they were pregnant. These people were no more likely to experience serious side effects than those who took other types of diabetes medication.

Another, smaller study had similar findings. Infants exposed to semaglutide and infants exposed to insulin had the same rates of:

• Birth defects
• Low blood sugar
• Jaundice
• Preterm birth

Insulin is a standard treatment for diabetes during pregnancy. This study only included 27 participants who took semaglutide in pregnancy. But 14 of these participants took semaglutide during their entire pregnancy.

This offers a starting point. Larger studies with more participants are needed to know for sure whether Ozempic is safe to take during pregnancy.

Can you breastfeed while taking Ozempic?

There’s no data available on whether it’s safe to nurse while taking Ozempic.

In animal studies, a small amount of Ozempic did pass to rat’s milk. Usually if a medication passes into rat milk, it often passes to human milk, too. Studies in humans are ongoing.

A small study looked at whether Ozempic passed to human breastmilk. It included eight nursing participants who were taking between 0.25 mg and 1 mg of Ozempic weekly. The researchers tested breastmilk samples immediately after participants received Ozempic and then at 12 and 24 hours after their dose. The researchers didn’t find semaglutide in any of the breastmilk samples. Since there were only 8 participants, it’s impossible to make any major conclusions from this study. But like with the study mentioned above, this offers a starting point for more research.

Does Ozempic interfere with birth control?

Ozempic may decrease the effectiveness of oral birth control pills. But there’s no research that proves this yet.

Ozempic slows down how quickly your stomach empties. This may interfere with how your body absorbs birth control pills. Manufacturers warn that semaglutide may lower the absorption of all oral medications, not just birth control pills.

Non-oral birth control methods aren’t affected by semaglutide, such as:

• IUDs
• Implants
• Patches
• Vaginal rings

As a result, these methods may offer more reliable protection. You may want to switch to one of these other methods if you’re taking Ozempic. You can also consider using a back-up method of birth control along with oral birth control pills.

The bottom line

Ozempic is a powerful medication that can help control Type 2 diabetes. There’s very little data on how Ozempic can affect human pregnancy. In pregnant animals, Ozempic was linked to pregnancy loss and birth defects. In most cases, you shouldn’t take Ozempic if you’re pregnant. If you’re planning to become pregnant, you should plan to stop taking Ozempic at least 2 months before pregnancy. Talk to a healthcare professional about how to stop taking Ozempic safely if you’re planning to become pregnant.

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