Latest / Finally Get Pregnant Naturally: Holistic Fertility Support To Conceive Naturally and Stay Pregnant After Miscarriage / #245 | The Truth About Taking a GLP-1 Like Ozempic and Trying to Get Pregnant. What No One's Telling You About Fertility and Miscarriage Risk

Transcript

#245 | The Truth About Taking a GLP-1 Like Ozempic and Trying to Get Pregnant. What No One's Telling You About Fertility and Miscarriage Risk · Finally Get Pregnant Naturally: Holistic Fertility Support To Conceive Naturally and Stay Pregnant After Miscarriage

• 0:00
  Katie: If you're currently taking or considering taking a GLP-1 like Ozempic and you're trying to conceive, here is what no one else is telling you about your fertility and miscarriage risk.
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  Welcome to the Finally Get Pregnant Naturally podcast, the podcast helping women identify the real reasons you haven't conceived or stayed pregnant so you and your partner can finally grow the family of your dreams.
• 0:27
  I'm your host, Dr.
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  Katie Wood.
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  Let's dive in, shall we?
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  Katie: Three things you'll gain from today's episode: who GLP-1s will actually benefit and the specific fertility mechanisms behind why, what you need to know about taking a GLP-1 when trying to conceive, and the nutritional conversation your provider is not
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  Katie: having with you.
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  Katie: So let's first talk about who GLP-1s are actually going to benefit and why, 'cause I think that that's really, really important.
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  Katie: It's such a hot topic right now.
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  Katie: Everyone's talking about it in terms of weight loss, and I think that there are pros and cons, and there are risks, and there are risks and benefits, and there are caveats.
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  Katie: So let's dive into those.
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  Katie: I have had clients sign up to work with me who were already taking a GLP-1.
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  Katie: I've also had clients who have asked me if a GLP-1 is right for them.
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  Katie: So I really wanted to share some of my thoughts with you since I know that this is just such a hot topic right now.
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  Katie: So GLP-1 medications work by improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic function.
• 1:46
  Katie: So for a woman with PCOS or insulin resistance, where disrupted insulin signaling is directly suppressing ovulation and throwing off their hormonal axis, that metabolic improvement can be genuinely meaningful from a GLP-1.
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  Katie: Because when your insulin comes down, your androgens will tend to follow, cycles can regulate, and ovulation can resume.
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  Katie: For this specific woman, the drug is addressing the signaling that is and has been impacting ovulation.
• 2:25
  Katie: So for a woman who has been struggling with PCOS, insulin resistance, or weight-related hormonal disruption, a GLP-1 may genuinely be a tool in their toolbox that can help.
• 2:40
  Katie: But here is where the conversation needs to go next.
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  Katie: So the current guidelines are pretty clear.
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  Katie: GLP-1 medications should absolutely be stopped at least eight weeks before actively trying to conceive, and that's considered a washout period because it has a long half-life, so it's gonna hang around in the body for longer.
• 3:04
  Katie: Okay?
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  Katie: And the reason that eight-week guideline exists is important to understand.
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  Katie: Animal studies have shown associations with embryo-fetal mortality, structural abnormalities, and skeletal growth disturbances.
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  Katie: Of course, human data is still very limited at this point, but Novo Nordisk themselves state that weight loss during pregnancy offers no benefit and may cause harm.
• 3:33
  Katie: So of course, if you are really weighing the benefits versus the risks, the benefit does not outweigh the risk here.
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  Katie: Okay?
• 3:42
  Katie: And then there's also a thyroid consideration worth discussing, particularly relevant for a woman where they have a significant thyroid-fertility connection that is a part of their picture, meaning maybe they have hypothyroidism.
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  Katie: Delayed gastric emptying from the GLP-1 can alter the absorption of oral thyroid medications.
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  Katie: So weight loss...
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  Katie: And then another thing to consider is weight loss from the GLP-1 can also lower your thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH levels, and that may require adjustments to your hormone replacement dosage.
• 4:27
  Katie: So that is definitely a conversation to be having with your provider And here is the part that almost nobody is discussing, right?
• 4:37
  Katie: Studies show that the majority of people regain a significant portion of the weight that was lost on a GLP-1 within one to two years of stopping.
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  Katie: In some trials, up to two-thirds of prior weight loss came back within a year of discontinuing.
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  Katie: Because here's the thing, if the medication was doing all of the work, the moment it stops, then the underlying physiology is just going to reassert itself into the picture.
• 5:11
  Katie: And if the metabolic and nutritional foundations were not built, meaning if you didn't work on your habits, your nutrition, and your lifestyle while taking the GLP-1, then the hormonal picture that improved can start to unravel right alongside the
• 5:31
  Katie: weight, okay?
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  Katie: So for a woman trying to conceive, that's no small thing.
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  Katie: The ovulation that the medication helped restore, the insulin sensitivity, the hormone regularity, all of it is at risk if nothing was built to hold it underneath it, right?
• 5:50
  Katie: And this is a conversation that is simply not happening in your provider's office, and it's a huge piece of the puzzle that I support my clients with inside Fertile as a Mother.
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  Katie: Because, yes, I acknowledge that a GLP-1 is a helpful tool for some, but we absolutely, definitely need to be building the foundations that are going to hold and support sustainable and healthy metabolic health, not only for your fertility,
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  Katie: but for your pregnancy and your postpartum body as well, okay?
• 6:28
  Katie: And here is a whole nother piece of the GLP-1 picture that no one is talking about, and that's the nutritional depletion picture.
• 6:38
  Katie: So GLP-1 medications suppress your appetite significantly.
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  Katie: So for a woman trying to support her fertility so she can conceive and create life, this creates a real and underappreciated nutritional risk.
• 6:56
  Katie: Your protein intake will drop, and protein is the raw material for every hormone your body makes and every egg your ovaries are developing.
• 7:07
  Katie: Plus, by reducing your intake, especially if what you're actually eating isn't nutrient-dense, then that is going to reduce the nutrients that you receive that are absolutely foundational to egg quality, methylation, and early embryo development.
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  Katie: All of that is at risk when your appetite is being chronically suppressed.
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  Katie: Also this is just a side note, like top that on with maybe have you ever been on birth control?
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  Katie: Especially if you are on birth control for a significant time, that has already depleted your body of the most important nutrients for fertility and pregnancy.
• 7:51
  Katie: So when you can kind of like add all these things up, right?
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  Katie: And maybe you don't realize it, and your doctor, is not gonna connect the dots for you.
• 8:02
  Katie: And something to note, if you are ovulating regularly before starting a GLP-1 you could still have insulin resistance and be ovulating regularly.
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  Katie: That is a possibility.
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  Katie: If you have a regular ovulation- And then you start a GLP-1.
• 8:19
  Katie: Rapid weight loss in and of itself can disrupt LH and FSH signaling, and these are the very hormones that you need to help you ovulate.
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  Katie: Like they, there's this whole hormonal cascade, okay?
• 8:36
  Katie: And, and then there's a, a whole nother layer that rarely gets discussed as well, and that's muscle mass.
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  Katie: GLP-1 driven weight loss is going to deplete muscle alongside fat, and muscle tissue is metabolically active.
• 8:55
  Katie: It supports insulin sensitivity, progesterone signaling, and blood sugar stability.
• 9:02
  Katie: Losing significant muscle mass can actually worsen long-term metabolic resilience, which is the opposite of what you are trying to achieve going into a conception cycle.
• 9:16
  Katie: So technically you could you go on a GLP-1 to help you metabolically, but then this is happening in the background, so then when you have to go off of it, you could actually be starting in a different, like
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  Katie: worse off spot, okay?
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  Katie: So even if a GLP-1 helped restore your cycle, the transition off of it requires an intentional plan because you really want to be mindful about moving from months of appetite suppression, rapid weight loss, and muscle depletion directly into
• 9:51
  Katie: trying to conceive without addressing what has been lost along the way first.
• 9:58
  Katie: This is exactly the kind of nuanced root cause, full picture conversation and support that I have with clients inside of Fertility Mother because your fertility protocol needs to reflect your full history, including what medications you've been on, what
• 10:17
  Katie: they may have depleted, and what your body needs now to actually support conception and a healthy pregnancy So to recap, GLP-1s can genuinely support metabolic conditions behind fertility issues, especially for women with PCOS and insulin resistance.
• 10:37
  Katie: But you want to make sure that you're stopping at least eight weeks before trying to conceive, and then also the thyroid connection is worth monitoring and discussing with your provider.
• 10:48
  Katie: The weight regain data, nutritional and muscle depletion picture is one that most providers are not addressing.
• 10:57
  Katie: And a gentle reminder that this medication should never be your whole strategy.
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  Katie: It is just a tool, okay?
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  Katie: One tool that you should have in your toolbox.
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  Katie: You deserve a strategy that is built for you and your body, your current needs, so you can go on to have a healthy body, pregnancy, and baby because that's what we're all here for, right?
• 11:24
  Katie: That's what we're all listening to this podcast for, so we can have a healthy pregnancy, healthy mom, healthy baby.
• 11:32
  Katie: So that is exactly why I offer a free fertility strategy session.
• 11:37
  Katie: If you have been struggling with weight, maybe you're currently on a GLP-1, maybe you're considering taking a GLP-1, but there is a part of you that has concerns about potentially the weight gain that can come back when you
• 11:54
  Katie: stop taking it.
• 11:56
  Katie: Sometimes people question and wonder, do they really have to stop it before starting to try to conceive?
• 12:03
  Katie: So these are all the questions and support systems that I am here to help you with.
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  Katie: So we can look at your whole fertility picture with you and your partner, kinda map things out, like what is going to be the best action plan for you in terms of optimizing your fertility.
• 12:22
  Katie: So click the link in the show notes to book your free fertility strategy call.
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  Katie: And I just wanna thank you so much for being here, for listening to the podcast, and I hope you have a beautiful day, and I'll see you on our next episode, released every Tuesday and Thursday.
• 12:37
  Are you ready to finally discover why you haven't been able to get or stay pregnant?
• 12:42
  The Ultimate Fertility Blueprint is a quick, insightful quiz designed to reveal your overall capacity to conceive and help you discover potential root causes and areas to address to improve your fertility so you can finally get and stay pregnant.
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  You'll find the link in the show notes.
• 13:02
  As a quick reminder and disclaimer, this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.
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  Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider before starting any new supplement or protocol, especially if you're actively trying to conceive or undergoing treatment.