Weight loss jabs could potentially harm an unborn baby

[musicalfrog]

"The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says it is not known whether taking the medicines, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, could harm an unborn baby."

How the F does it get to the stage of being bought on the Internet, when things like this are a possibility?

It feels like medicine is getting more unregulated as time goes on. It's extremely worrying!

Link

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0gp2pl7zwo

Same as all medicines because they can’t run trials on pregnant woman?

try again OP

They say that about all medication as it’s unethical to do trials on pregnant women.

Hey? A pregnant woman or someone trying for a baby wouldn’t be on weight loss jabs 😂

Isn't it more a case of "we don't test on preggo women because it's hard, expensive and morally dubious" and a shit ton of over the counter medication fits that description.

Of course its unknown, it would be impossible to do clinical studies.
Its also impossible to completely regulate what people put into their bodies.
I do take your point about these drugs being so readily available without a proper GP prescription but if somone is very deteermined to take any drug whether its legal or not then they will

The main problem with weight loss jabs and fertile women is that it can affect the absorption of oral contraceptive (if you have the digestion slow down), and if you suffer the more lively side effects (vomiting etc) then you can lose contraception cover.

It’s all over the medication. It’s also all over the route to obtaining it online. Are you pregnant or trying for a baby. Then No it’s not safe.

It's really not rocket science. There are very minimal drugs that are actually deemed safe in pregnancy, most drugs that are given during pregnancy are done on a balance of probability 'is it safer for baby if mum has x treated or can it wait until after baby is born' etc.

Most fertility clinics treat these jabs with caution because the risks are particularly unknown and whilst the MHRA recommend 1 month off them before conception alot of clinics are recommending 3 months 'clean'.

Apparently it's resulted in 40 yellow card reports for unwanted pregnancies.

I am not sure why anyone is that surprised by the suggestion it might cause harm though given what the drug does to adults and frankly how unregulated it really is in turns of it use.

We know the amount of unethical practice for financial reward that's going on in private practice in the UK already with multiple drugs that are in high demand often due to popularity driven by social media.

I take WLI. It is made extremely clear that you must not be pregnant, trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding and must be aware of possibly using additional barrier contraception if you are on the pill. You cannot get a private online prescription without that being made very very clear. I have no idea why this is a news story today, because it is not a new bit of information.

To reassure you, these WLI have been through extensive clinical trials and have been considered by the MHRA who followed their usual thorough process before approving them for use.

The position is that there is no evidence whether they are safe or dangerous, not that they are known to cause harm. Because clearly you can't test deliberately on pregnant women and see if the babies are harmed!

@kittykarate

'more lively side effects' 🤣🤣

Eh? That’s most medicines.

OK I'll stand down. It just feels so risky with it not being prescription only.

@musicalfrog it is prescription only!

It is.

It is prescription only. The online purchase through legitimate channels is via private prescription.

How the F does it get to the stage of being bought on the Internet, when things like this are a possibility?

You can buy hundreds of medicines and consumables that you could say this about. As pp have pointed out, we can't run trials on pregnant women so that's how it often is.

Interestingly though the use of weight loss jabs is now so prevalent internationally that I think over time we will end up with plenty of data on how it affects pregnant women and foetuses regardless.

OP, read up on medicine safety in pregnancy and how it's all classified and why.
Even quite a lot of OTC medications are either unknown or not recommended for use in pregnancy, including one of the most common OTC medicines - antihistamines.
It doesn't make these medications bad full stop.

There are threads on MN with women considering using WLI when TTC to get below the BMI cut off for NHS fertility treatment. So it is a possibility. But the BBC have updated their headline from earlier on today to now emphasise its actually more importantly about the fact that the pill might not work if using WLI so even if not actively TTC, unintended pregnancy could be a possibility.

Well thank you all for the education. I have no idea why it's being mentioned on a BBC news article if there are no issues in this regard 😄

I could see people who are trying for a baby to be on WLI, plenty of GPs will lead with the "Have you tried losing weight" for many a complaint, including problems conceiving.

The headline I saw somewhere else was focusing more on the possibility of unintended pregnancy because of the impact on oral contraceptives, rather than women using the weight loss medication while trying to conceive.

Have a re-read of the article, they seem to have changed the emphasis since you posted it.

It is prescription only. The online companies you buy it from have doctors and pharmacist who are legally permitted to prescribe it after a clinical assessment. That's how it works.