‘Ozempic babies’: Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs

Numerous women have shared stories of “Ozempic babies” on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns, as these medicines haven’t been studied in people who are pregnant.

Catera Bentley stared at the positive pregnancy test and couldn’t believe her eyes. She took a second test, then a third — there was no question. She was pregnant. She called her husband at work and told him that there was a giant spider in the house that he had to come get rid of. He rushed home, and when he arrived, Bentley revealed the news. They both burst into tears. The couple, who live in Steele, Alabama, had been trying to have a child for more than two years, but Bentley’s doctor had told her that she may be unable to conceive because of her history of polycystic ovary syndrome, known as PCOS. The news had left her feeling without a purpose. “That’s all I wanted to be was a mom and a wife,” said Bentley, 25. “I was depressed, severely depressed for that whole time.” Five months earlier, in October 2022, Bentley had started taking Mounjaro for weight loss. Over the first few months, she said, she lost about 40 pounds. Her menstrual cycles, which had been irregular because of PCOS, became normal. And she even felt happier. “It just made me feel like a whole new person,” she said. “I was in a better mood every single day.”