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Ozempic babies: Women claim weight-loss drugs are making them more fertile and experts agree

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Ozempic babies: Women claim weight-loss drugs are making them more fertile and experts agree

A new kind of baby boom could be taking place.

Some women taking GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have reported that they’re getting pregnant unexpectedly.

The term “Ozempic babies” has been coined on TikTok, with many women posting there about their unplanned pregnancies.

OZEMPIC, OTHER WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS MAY STRENGTHEN NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, EXPERTS SAY

This includes Michigan mom Deb Oliviara (@dkalsolive), who posted a video on Feb. 16 announcing her “Ozempic pregnancy” with her boyfriend.

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In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Oliviara said the pregnancy was “absolutely a surprise.”

Some women are reporting unexpected pregnancies while taking Ozempic. (iStock)

“We recently moved into our dream home and just got engaged,” she said. “We were just enjoying our new life when we were surprised by a baby [boy] arriving in October.”

Oliviara has two children from a prior marriage and has been pregnant six times, including her current pregnancy, but has experienced “unidentified fertility issues.” 

“I had a first trimester loss, second trimester loss and my stillbirth,” she said. “Thankfully, this baby is super healthy.”

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OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS COULD HELP REDUCE ALCOHOL USE DISORDER SYMPTOMS, STUDY SUGGESTS

Each pregnancy changed her body, Oliviara said, which was a “reminder of the losses.”

“I spent two years in the gym about four to five days a week working out,” she said. “I worked with a health coach and a fitness coach and nothing was help[ing] me lose the last 20 pounds.” 

After her sister-in-law found weight-loss success via Wegovy, Oliviara began her own GLP-1 journey, which ended once she found out she was pregnant.

Boxes of Ozempic, an injectable antidiabetic drug, are pictured in a pharmacy. “It’s likely the main driver in the ‘Ozempic baby’ boom we’re suddenly seeing,” said one Massachusetts-based doctor.  (SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP)

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Dr. Angela Fitch, chief medical officer of knownwell and president of the Obesity Medicine Association, confirmed that the correlation between weight loss and fertility is “well-known.”

“It’s likely the main driver in the ‘Ozempic baby’ boom we’re suddenly seeing,” Massachusetts-based Fitch wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.

OZEMPIC, WEGOVY AND PREGNANCY RISK: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE

“As physicians, it’s our responsibility to emphasize the unknown and ensure that women take contraception use seriously — preferably using long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods, such as an IUD,” the doctor suggested.

Although the fertility effects of these drugs have not been studied extensively, Fitch said they are known to “slow gastric emptying and affect the absorption of oral medications,” including contraceptives.

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The “main driver” of the Ozempic baby boom is the correlation between weight loss and fertility, one doctor suggested. (iStock)

Dr. Rachel McConnell, a fertility expert at Columbia University Fertility Center in New York, said she is hearing about Ozempic pregnancies “all the time.”

“I feel that patients who have obesity, or are overweight, will do much better by trying to lose weight,” she told Fox News Digital. “And there are plenty of studies to support that.”

“We encourage patients to be off the medication for at least two to three months before they even attempt conception.”

Losing weight also helps regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle, McConnell noted, which can help patients with obesity or conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) to get pregnant “much quicker.”

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McConnell agreed with Fitch that GLP-1s could be decreasing the absorption of birth control medications.

OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY OVERDOSE CALLS HAVE SPIKED, EXPERTS SAY — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DANGEROUS DOSES

“Not only does Ozempic work by increasing insulin, causing a decrease in glucose levels, but it also causes a slowing of emptying of the stomach,” she said.

Experts warn of ‘unknown effects’

While the possibility of there being no negative effects could be “life-changing for pregnancy-related conditions like gestational diabetes,” according to Fitch, the impact of GLP-1s on babies is unknown.

McConnell added, “Not knowing the safety of the drug, I think [patients] should be cautious and try not to get pregnant while taking it because we don’t know the long-term effects.”

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Both doctors recommended the use of “backup barriers,” or extra contraceptives, while taking GLP-1 drugs.

Women on birth control could have a higher risk of pregnancy while taking GLP-1s like Ozempic, experts say. (iStock)

The general guidance is for pregnant women to not take Ozempic or other GLP-1s while pregnant, to prevent any potential drug toxicity to the fetus, according to McConnell.

“We encourage patients to be off the medication for at least two to three months before they even attempt conception, because it has a very long half-life of about five weeks,” she said.

OZEMPIC, THE HAPPY DRUG? STUDY SUGGESTS WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS COULD REDUCE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY

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Mom Oliviara said she wished she could have weaned herself off Ozempic instead of stopping abruptly “for the health of the baby.”

She said, “I experienced insatiable hunger. I tried to combat it by eating healthy, staying active and trying to stick with my new healthy habits I formed [while] on the GLP-1.”

The impact GLP-1s could have on babies is unknown, but the possibility of there being no negative effects could be “life-changing for pregnancy-related conditions like gestational diabetes,” a doctor said. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

The expectant mother said she gained back 20 pounds within the first three months of her pregnancy, which “significantly affected” her mental health.

“I felt super uncomfortable in my body again,” she said. “I now feel like the medication is out of my system and I’ve been able to have a normal pregnancy again.”

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She added, “We are just happy [the baby] is healthy after multiple losses.”

Oliviara said she plans to resume taking Ozempic after the baby is born.

Patients should “try not to get pregnant” while taking these drugs since side effects are unknown, a doctor advised. (iStock)

“I think it is important for people to go into it knowing it is a tool and to use it as one,” she said. “It is up to you to make the lifestyle changes for long-term results.”

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McConnell advised other GLP-1 patients to have a plan for how to maintain their healthy lifestyles, including eating well and getting exercise, once they’ve stopped taking these medications.

GLP-1s are meant for people who “actually need weight loss” and should not be taken for fertility purposes, one doctor reminded patients. 

The doctor also reminded patients that GLP-1s are meant for people who “actually need weight loss” and should not be taken for fertility purposes.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, has created a Wegovy Pregnancy Registry to collect health data from women who take the GLP-1 medications during pregnancy.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, has created a Wegovy Pregnancy Registry to collect health data from women who take the GLP-1 medications during pregnancy. (LISELOTTE SABROE/Scanpix Denmark/AFP)

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“The goal of the Wegovy Pregnancy Registry is to help health care providers, patients and researchers better understand the safety of Wegovy … and other weight-loss medications during pregnancy,” the registry states.

“The study collects health information on pregnant women and their babies up to 1 year of age from enrolled pregnant women themselves and the health care providers involved in their care or the care of their babies.”

The Wegovy website states that the medication “may cause fetal harm” and advises women to discontinue use if they become pregnant.

Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk for additional comment.

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Health

Could ‘humanmaxxing’ actually help you live longer? Here’s what experts say

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Could ‘humanmaxxing’ actually help you live longer? Here’s what experts say

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We are officially living in the “maxxing” era.

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From “looksmaxxing” to improve appearance to “sleepmaxxing” for better rest, these viral terms all point to the same goal: squeezing every ounce of potential out of a specific trait or habit.

With a growing focus on optimizing wellness and maximizing longevity, the trend has evolved into what’s known as “humanmaxxing,” sparking a bigger question: How far can people go to optimize the human body?

ANTI-AGING BENEFITS LINKED TO ONE SURPRISING HEALTH HABIT

While there is no single definition of humanmaxxing, the trend generally refers to efforts to optimize health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits, health tracking, supplements and, in some cases, more experimental interventions.

While there is no single definition of humanmaxxing, the trend generally refers to efforts to optimize health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits, health tracking, supplements and, in some cases, more experimental interventions. (iStock)

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For some, the movement begins with biohacking. According to Dave Asprey, a Texas-based wellness expert who refers to himself as the “father of biohacking,” optimizing your body starts with changing your environment.

Asprey has defined biohacking as “the art and science of changing the environment around you or inside you so that you have full control of your own biology.”

COULD HUMANS LIVE TO BE 150 YEARS OLD? GENETICIST SHARES WHY IT MAY BE POSSIBLE

His public advice focuses on boosting cellular energy through everyday choices like intermittent fasting, high-fat diets, red-light therapy and supplement routines.

“My goal right now is 180 years, because I’m doing something about it now instead of waiting,” he once said.

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Clinical experts warn that extreme self-experimentation skips the rigorous safety checks that typical medical science requires. (iStock)

Others have embraced a more data-driven approach. Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, creator of the multimillion-dollar longevity project Blueprint in Los Angeles, argues that optimizing the body means removing human error from health decisions and instead relying on medical data.

“Methodically, we sought to build an algorithm with science and data that could better care for me than I can myself,” Johnson wrote on his website. “My mind did not have the authority to override the algorithm.”

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Johnson’s routine involves tracking hundreds of health metrics, eating a precisely measured diet, taking dozens of supplements, and undergoing advanced medical treatments in an effort to reduce his biological age.

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At the far end of the spectrum are those investing in technologies aimed at pushing the limits of human performance.

London-based tech investor Christian Angermayer recently described humanmaxxing as a strategy toward human maximization.

Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, creator of the multimillion-dollar longevity project Blueprint, argues that optimizing the body means removing human error from health decisions and instead relying on medical data. (iStock)

“I don’t think we should become something different, because I think humans are awesome, but I think we can maximize the potential [that] is already in us,” he said in an interview with The New York Times.

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Angermayer’s investment firm, Apeiron Investment Group, focuses on technologies intended to help people “live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.” He also founded atai Life Sciences, a biotechnology company that develops psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

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As interest in humanmaxxing grows, mainstream health experts urge consumers to separate evidence-based wellness practices from experimental interventions.

Public guidance from the National Institute on Aging notes that while some anti-aging therapies have shown promise in laboratory research, there is not yet sufficient evidence that they can safely extend human life.

As interest in humanmaxxing grows, mainstream health experts urge consumers to separate evidence-based wellness practices from experimental interventions. (iStock)

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Clinical experts also caution that extreme self-experimentation can bypass the rigorous safety standards applied to conventional medical treatments.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

According to the Endocrine Society, taking substances such as testosterone or growth hormone without a medical need can lead to serious health risks, including cardiovascular complications and long-term disruption of the body’s chemical balance.

While many humanmaxxing habits overlap with standard healthy lifestyle practices, experts say consumers should be cautious of expensive or experimental interventions that promise dramatic anti-aging or longevity benefits without strong scientific evidence.

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New blood test detects 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases, beating current screenings

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New blood test detects 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases, beating current screenings

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A new test could make it easier to detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier.

The blood test, called Stockholm3, is showing promise in clinical trials, beating out the traditional, standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied the test’s efficacy in more than 12,000 men — mostly Swedish or European — aged 50 to 74.

NEW PROSTATE CANCER TEST PINPOINTS DISEASE BETTER THAN PSA OPTION, STUDY FINDS

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All participants were tested with PSA and Stockholm3 and were followed for two years. During the follow-up period, 443 men were diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.

Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests.

Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests. (iStock)

Stockholm3 missed “significantly fewer” serious cancer cases than PSA. The number of men incorrectly classified as high-risk was similar across both tests, according to a press release.

Thorgerdur Palsdottir, a researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, wrote in a statement that one of the major challenges in prostate cancer is being able to identify the cases that are “truly dangerous.”

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‘DILBERT’ CREATOR’S DESPERATE PLEA SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON ALTERNATIVE PROSTATE CANCER DRUG

“Our results show that Stockholm3 identifies significantly more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing the number of unnecessary follow-ups,” she said.

“These results point toward a potential change in how prostate cancer screening can be conducted,” the researcher added. “A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures.”

“A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures,” a researcher commented. (iStock)

Study co-author Hari Vigneswaran, chief medical officer of Stockholm3-maker A3P Biomedical, commented on these “promising” findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.

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PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING AFTER 70: EXPERTS QUESTION GUIDANCE AFTER BIDEN’S DIAGNOSIS

He confirmed that the PSA has been the standard for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s despite its “well-documented limitations.”

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“It leads to invasive and costly follow-up testing, contributes to over-diagnosis of non-aggressive cancers and, most importantly, it misses a substantial share of aggressive disease,” Vigneswaran said.

When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival is close to 100%. (iStock)

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When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival rate is close to 100%, which highlights the importance of early detection, according to the doctor.

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Data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database show that metastatic prostate cancer has risen over the past decade, suggesting that “we have not improved early detection of the aggressive, curable disease that screening is meant to catch,” Vigneswaran said.

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“The goal of screening is to find the cancers that need treatment while they are still curable, without raising the number of men who screen positive but don’t have aggressive disease,” he said.

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Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher. (Getty Images)

Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher.

The findings did have some limitations. Stockholm3 is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the U.S., Vigneswaran noted.

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The test estimates a man’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer, but a biopsy remains the gold standard for confirming the disease.

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The company plans to seek FDA approval to use the test for routine screening and will “generate the evidence needed to support that pathway, including U.S. data,” Vigneswaran said.

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This Protein Smoothie Trick Helps Women Over 40 Lose Twice as Much Fat

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This Protein Smoothie Trick Helps Women Over 40 Lose Twice as Much Fat


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This Protein Smoothie Trick Helps Women Lose Twice as Much Fat




















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