Rhiannon Picton-James Credits Mounjaro For Pregnancy

Rhiannon Picton-James Announces Pregnancy After Five Years of Infertility

In an essay written by Rhiannon Picton-James, she announced she is pregnant with her second child after five years of fertility struggles, crediting the weight-loss drug Mounjaro for her conception. The writer, who is 35 and stands 5 feet 2 inches with a pre-treatment weight putting her in the overweight BMI category, stated she began taking the 2.5mg minimum dose of Mounjaro in January after giving up on natural conception following the 2020 birth of her first daughter, Ada, an early miscarriage, and a ruptured ovarian cyst.

• The author conceived after three months on Mounjaro while her husband briefly used Ozempic, despite manufacturer warnings against using the medications when planning pregnancy.
• The midwife told the author that a new study from Harvard indicates early GLP-1 receptor agonist use in pregnancy does not increase the risk of adverse outcomes.
• Medical warnings caution against pregnancy during use, but the drugs can improve fertility markers and increase sperm motility.

Couple Used GLP-1 Medications During Conception

The pregnancy occurred after the author lost two stone over four months on Mounjaro while obtaining prescriptions through a private online prescriber. During the same timeframe, her husband began using Ozempic purchased online after gaining weight, creating a scenario where both partners used GLP-1 receptor agonists around the time of conception. The author noted that although she checked a form confirming she would take precautions, she and her husband had not used contraception for five years and did not start when beginning the injections.

Medical literature notes that GLP-1 medications can reduce the efficacy of oral contraceptives by delaying gastric emptying. At the same time, the author reported that her irregular and heavy menstrual cycles became regular and pain-free after starting the treatment, aligning with anecdotal reports of women experiencing restored fertility after addressing underlying conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

Harvard Study Suggests Low Risk for Early Use

Upon discovering the positive pregnancy test in April, the author ceased taking Mounjaro and consulted her midwife. The midwife told the author that a new study from Harvard indicates early GLP-1 receptor agonist use in pregnancy does not increase the risk of adverse outcomes.

Regarding paternal exposure, little data exists on outcomes for children whose fathers used GLP-1 medications at conception, though researchers theorize the drugs may increase testosterone and sperm motility. The author noted that her current pregnancy is progressing differently than her first, with her unborn son measuring in the 50th percentile compared to her first daughter Ada, who was born in the first percentile.