'I became pregnant while using weight-loss jabs - despite being on contraceptive pill'
'I became pregnant while using weight-loss jabs - despite being on contraceptive pill'
Natasha Major was astounded when she found out as she had previously been trying for two years for a second child without success
Natasha Major and her partner
(Image: Kennedy News and Media )
A mum is warning women after falling pregnant while using 'skinny jabs' - despite being on the pill. Natasha Major bought the Mounjaro injections online in April to help her lose weight to become more healthy and confident before trying for her third baby.
But the mum-of-two was stunned to discover she was pregnant just six weeks later despite taking the contraceptive pill each morning. The 26-year-old has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which makes her periods irregular, meaning she tried for two years to have her second child, so is 'baffled' how it happened.
Recent studies show that Mounjaro could 'reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in overweight people who are advised to use non-oral forms', according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Natasha never knew the injections could potentially reduce the effectiveness of her birth control and as soon as she discovered she was pregnant immediately stopped using the jabs.
Now she wants to warn other women to take necessary precautions. Natasha, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said: "I thought 'there's no way, how can I have PCOS which gives me struggles with conceiving and also be taking contraception on top of that. How can I fall pregnant?'
Natasha Jones bought the Mounjaro injections online in April to help her lose weight to become more healthy and confident before trying for another baby
(Image: Kennedy News and Media )
"I have PCOS so I have really irregular periods and nothing is regular so that's why I started taking the contraceptive pill on top of not wanting to have a baby right now. Me and my partner, Liam, have two children already and always knew we'd love one more but I am overweight.
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"Being overweight and pregnant makes it difficult. I knew I didn't want to fall pregnant now but maybe in two or three years we could start trying. I've always struggled with my weight, dieting and trying to get to a good size and maintaining it.
"I wanted to be healthy and more confident and also so I could go on to have a healthier pregnancy in the future. I hoped I'd lose the weight so I went online and ordered the Mounjaro injections.
"I'd only done it for two weeks before falling pregnant. Every morning at the same time I take it. I wasn't taking it at the wrong time as I know stuff like that can affect how effective the pill is."
Natasha had taken her sixth weight loss injection on the morning of May 6. She then took an ovulation test that same day that came back darker than usual, so she decided to take a pregnancy test just in case, which came back positive so she stopped taking the jabs.
Natasha said: "We weren't planning it so at first I was in disbelief. It really baffled me. 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, ever got a positive.
"Then there was more panic with taking the Mounjaro. I was like 'oh my goodness, something might go wrong or there might be something wrong with the baby or I might miscarry'. I rang the GP and they just said to me 'we don't have anything to tell you, you need to ring 111'. They pretty much said the same thing, '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'. I had that in my head anyway that I wouldn't carry on taking it."
Now nine weeks pregnant, Natasha underwent an early baby scan due to her PCOS where doctors confirmed her baby is healthy. Natasha said: "I am a lot happier now. I wasn't unhappy at first but it was just a shock that took over.
"I'm quite fortunate that I do want to be a mum again. Having a baby for me is great and we can have it now rather than in three or four years. There's still that constant (worry that) I was on (the weight loss jabs) and there were 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. I'm quite lucky I took that ovulation test because I wouldn't have known and I would've carried on with the Mounjaro and that could have caused a lot more problems."
After her shock discovery, Natasha wants to spread awareness of the potential effects weight loss jobs have on oral contraception. Natasha said: "I don't remember reading anywhere or it wasn't made clear to me that Mounjaro can dilute your contraceptive pill and to take other precautions if you're not wanting a baby.
"There's a lot of people that really don't know that. It's just important that you're aware and not put in that position where you have to make a decision about whether you're going to continue a pregnancy, or have that anxiety throughout the entire time that something could go wrong because you've taken that medication."
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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"It is recommended to use contraception while using this medicine. If you are a woman with obesity or overweight and are using oral contraceptives, you should consider also using a barrier method of contraception (e.g. a condom) or switching to a non-oral contraceptive method for four weeks after starting Mounjaro and for four weeks after each increase in dose."
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