‘Ozempic Babies’ Are Real: Here’s What Doctors Want You to Know About Fertility and GLP-1 Drugs

“Ozempic babies” have become the Internet shorthand for surprise pregnancies among people taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Scroll through TikTok and you’ll find many people sharing their positive pregnancy tests just months after starting one of these medications. The usual explanation is that GLP-1 drugs boost fertility and, in some people, help return ovulation. But fertility doctors point to a second factor that gets much less attention: Tirzepatide, the drug used in Mounjaro and Zepbound, can make birth control pills less effective, especially during the first weeks of treatment.

If you’re trying to get pregnant, this first part may seem like good news, but there are a few pitfalls to be aware of. And if you’re not trying to get pregnant, the second part is the one to watch out for. We asked four reproductive endocrinologists what’s really going on and how to fix it.

Why Mounjaro and Zepbound may make the pill less reliable

Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, “delays gastric emptying, particularly at the start of treatment,” says a reproductive endocrinologist. Dr Lucky Sekhonassistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This can change the speed and degree of absorption of an oral medication.” Simply put, birth control pills may be less effective, especially in the first few weeks.

In fact, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels Mounjaro And Related to Zep claim that after a single dose of tirzepatide, about 20% less of certain contraceptive hormones reach the bloodstream. This is why labels advise switching to a non-oral contraceptive method or adding a barrier method like condoms for four weeks after starting tirzepatide and again after each dose increase. This second part surprises people because the doses increase “in stages every few weeks,” says Dr Déborah Ikhena-Abelreproductive endocrinologist in Austin.

Do Ozempic and Wegovy have the same effect?

Not as much as studies show. Although semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, also slows digestion, it has not been shown to make the pill less effective, according to one study. 2026 assessment in JBRA assisted reproduction. “Drugs in the GLP-1 family can have different pharmacokinetic effects,” says Sekhon, “so we should not assume that a demonstrated interaction with one drug automatically applies the same way to another.” That said, Fondayoa new daily pill GLP-1, has a precautionary warning on its label, although its effect on the pill has not been studied.

However, some doctors, including Dr. Ilana Resslerreproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility in Norwalk, Conn., suggests “erring on the side of caution” and switching to a non-oral method or adding condoms with any GLP-1 medication, at least initially. Here’s why:

• Your ovulation may return. “Patients whose ovulation improves during treatment may become pregnant earlier than expected,” says Ressler. (More on this below.)

Sekhon calls this “an individualized precautionary recommendation rather than evidence that each GLP-1 has been proven to reduce the absorption of birth control.” And if you use an IUD, implant, patch, or vaginal ring, this doesn’t apply to you because they don’t rely on digestion to work.

Do GLP-1 drugs affect fertility?

The “Ozempic babies” all over your reels only tell part of the story. A 2025 study in PLOS One compared social media discussions about GLP-1 drugs and fertility with the scientific literature and discovered a real gap: Of 52 original studies on GLP-1 receptor agonists and fertility that were discovered in a PubMed search, every one was conducted in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS (formerly polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS). None have studied women without this condition.

This is not to say that the enthusiasm is unfounded. It just means it’s specific.

“Women with PMS have insulin resistance,” says Ikhena-Abel. This causes testosterone and other androgens to increase, disrupting communication between the brain and ovaries. The result: follicles, “the little sacs in which eggs develop, are stopped and unable to mature and release an egg,” she says.

Weight loss, via GLP-1 use or otherwise, lowers insulin levels and can reverse this chain reaction. “Some patients have more regular cycles and conceive naturally after starting GLP-1 due to more regular ovulation,” Ressler says. In fact, in a 2017 randomized trial Of 176 women with PMS and excess weight, nearly 44% of those who took an older GLP-1 for 12 weeks became pregnant without fertility treatment, compared with about 19% of those who took metformin, a common diabetes medication often prescribed for PMS. Ressler cautions, however, that “GLP-1s are not specifically fertility drugs, and we cannot assume that they will improve everyone’s chances of pregnancy.”

In short, GLP-1 medications can help improve fertility by addressing some of the issues that get in the way.

Can GLP-1 medications help if you don’t have PMS?

Outside the PMOS, the situation becomes murkier. “There’s a reason to think that a GLP-1 might help some people who don’t have PMS, but it depends on why they’re not ovulating,” says Dr Asima Ahmadreproductive endocrinologist in Chicago and chief medical officer of Carrot Fertility.

A common culprit: excess weight itself. Body fat produces estrogen, and too much of it can interfere with the hormonal signals that tell your ovaries to mature and release an egg, Ahmad says. As a result, ovulation may occur only sporadically or not at all, making pregnancy more difficult. Even modest weight loss can help: Doctors typically recommend losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight for people whose fertility is affected by obesity, according to one study. 2026 assessment in scientific reports.

Ahmad shows a study It’s been nearly three decades since 60 of 67 women suffering from obesity and infertility, for various diagnoses, resumed spontaneous ovulation after a structured weight loss program – with no GLP-1 drugs involved. This study was not randomized, she notes, so it does not promise the same result for everyone.

“The most important thing before any recommended treatment, whether weight loss or otherwise, is to determine the cause of the ovulatory dysfunction,” says Ahmad. Irregular ovulation can also come from thyroid diseasehigh prolactin levels, undernutrition, overexercise, extreme stress, perimenopause or primary ovarian failure, causes that a GLP-1 would not necessarily address.

Can GLP-1 drugs affect male fertility?

Maybe. Research presented at Endocrine Society 2026 Annual Meeting suggests that testosterone levels and sperm parameters in obese men might improve with GLP-1 drugs. The caveats: The gains were more evident in men with low testosterone and mainly accompanied weight loss. “When healthy, non-obese men were studied, no benefit was seen,” says Ikhena-Abel.

Overall, research on men remains “inconclusive,” according to the 2026 JBRA goodbye. In fact, in one case report, a man’s sperm quality dropped on the older GLP-1 drug, liraglutide (Victoza), and recovered after stopping it.

Regardless, doctors say prescribing to a male partner is part of the fertility debate. “Both partners’ medications and medical history are relevant when it comes to fertility,” says Ressler.

Are you planning a pregnancy with a GLP-1? Here’s what to do

If you’re taking a GLP-1 drug and hoping to get pregnant, it’s important to plan ahead: You should generally “discontinue use before pregnancy,” Ressler says. “Animal studies have raised concerns about fetal growth, miscarriages and developmental abnormalities, while human data are still too limited to establish safety,” Ahmad said. More, weight loss by any means is not recommended during pregnancy, she adds. This is why it is advisable to stop before you start trying, not after a positive test. And since some of these medications stay in the body for weeks, how long to stop depends on which one you’re taking:

*The labels for tirzepatide and liraglutide do not specify a stopping window before conception. The tirzepatide line reflects advice from Dr. Ilana Ressler and a 2026 review in JBRA assisted reproduction. The liraglutide window is from the same journal.

Sources: FDA labels for Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, Saxenda And Fondayo; MotherToBaby; JBRA assisted reproduction; Dr. Ilana Ressler

For men considering becoming fathers, the advice differs. “There is currently no established paternal cessation window regarding the use of GLP-1,” says Ahmad. This does not mean that its safety has been proven. There is simply little research on whether these drugs reach the sperm.

What to do if you get pregnant while taking GLP-1?

“Don’t panic,” Ahmad said. She cites a Analysis 2026 of more than 40,000 pregnancies exposed to GLP-1 drugs, which showed no clear increase in birth defects. And in a separate 2026 study of 3,572 pregnancies in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who continued to take a GLP-1 during early pregnancy did not have a significantly higher risk of miscarriage. Their rates of major birth defects were also not significantly higher, although the researchers say these findings are less certain.

Neither study proves that these drugs are safe throughout pregnancy, but both are reassuring about the kind of accidental early exposure that is likely causing many of these headlines. Still, Ahmad says, you should stop using GLP-1, call your doctor and start prenatal care. If you have diabetes, you will also need a plan to control your blood sugar once you…