I got pregnant while using Mounjaro...despite being on The Pill
A woman has warned those using blockbuster weight loss jabs that contraception could be useless—after she conceived while on Mounjaro, despite taking The Pill.
Natasha Major, 26, from Hertfordshire, became pregnant just two weeks after starting the injections, even though she had fertility problems and was taking contraception.
Ironically, the trainee teacher began using the jab, dubbed the 'King Kong' of weightloss jabs, in a bid to improve her health before trying to have a third child.
Due to her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—a condition that causes irregular periods, weight gain and fertility problems—Ms Major thought getting pregnant would be a challenge.
It follows an alert issued yesterday, by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), urged women using Mounjaro to 'double-up' their contraception if using The Pill due to concerns of reduced effectiveness.
Meanwhile, those using other slimming jabs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, were advised to use 'effective' contraception due to a lack of data about whether the drugs are safe to use in pregnancy.
There may be potential risks to both the pregnant woman and the foetus.
Officials added that women who become pregnant while using the medications must cease taking them immediately.
Those who are breastfeeding should the injections stop too.
Despite having two children, Ms Major and her partner had struggled with fertility problems, particularly when trying for their second child.
This inspired her to embark on a weight-loss journey in order to enhance her chances of a healthy third pregnancy.
'I wanted to be healthy and more confident, so I could go on to have a healthier pregnancy,' she said.
'Being overweight and pregnant makes it difficult. Me and my partner have two children already and always knew we'd love one more, but I am overweight.
'I hoped I'd lose the weight, so I went online and ordered the Mounjaro injections,' she added.
However, after just two weeks on the slimming jabs, Ms Major became pregnant—despite taking The Pill at the same time each morning.
'We weren't planning it, so at first I was in disbelief. It really baffled me', she said.
'When I was trying for my second daughter it took two years and the entire two years I was taking ovulation tests daily for months, and I never got a positive.'
After reading about the potential harm the jabs could cause her baby, Ms Major was hit with a wave of anxiety.
'I was like "oh my goodness, something might go wrong or there might be something wrong with the baby or I might miscarry"'.
Ms Major said she called her GP, who told her to ring 111, a non-emergency helpline.
'They pretty much said there's absolutely no information on it.
'All they said was, if you start bleeding, you're probably miscarrying and to stop taking the Mounjaro.'
Now, nine weeks later, Ms Major has been given the good news that her baby is healthy, following an early scan.
The expectant mother said: 'I'm a lot happier now. I wasn't unhappy at first, but it was just a shock that took over.'
Ms Major is now campaigning for better awareness of the potential side effects of popular weight-loss jabs, such as Mounjaro.
'I don't remember reading anywhere, or it wasn't made clear to me, that Mounjaro can dilute your contraceptive pill,' she said.
'There's a lot of people that really don't know that.
'I am quite fortunate that I do want to be a mum again. But there's still that constant worry that I was on [the weight loss jabs] and there's no studies for that.
'Until I've got that baby and they are fine and healthy and everything's gone smoothly, I'll still have that feeling in the back of my mind.'
Mounjaro, which works by boosting levels of appetite-suppressing hormones, is thought to cause disruption to the digestive system, potentially flushing out the contraceptive via loose, frequent stools and/or vomiting.
To date, drug safety officials have received more than 40 reports relating to pregnancy among women on the drugs.
The reports related to pregnancy, recorded by medics and patients, include problems such as birth defects, miscarriages, and unplanned pregnancies.
The MHRA added in some cases women should continue to use contraception for up to two months after stopping the medications before trying to get pregnant.
Patients taking weight-loss injections are already advised to use contraception, and to stop taking the drugs if they get pregnant, in leaflets that come with the drugs.
Some 35,000 British women of child-bearing age were prescribed the jabs on the NHS in England in 2024, official figures suggest.
However, this is likely to be an underestimate, given that many acquire the drug privately.
A spokesman from Eli Lilly, the drug firm that makes Mounjaro, said: 'Patient safety is Lilly's top priority, and we actively engage in monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety information for all our medicines.
'The Summary of Product Characteristics for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) explains that tirzepatide has the potential to impact the rate of absorption of concomitantly administered oral medicinal products, and that the impact is most pronounced at the time of tirzepatide treatment initiation.'
'The tirzepatide Patient Information Leaflet pregnancy section states: This medicine should not be used during pregnancy as the effects of this medicine on an unborn child are not known.
'If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before using this medicine.'
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