Does Ozempic really cause a surge in unplanned pregnancies?

What did @timsayedmd actually say?

Dr. Tim Syed, a board-certified plastic surgeon, made two core claims: first, that animal studies showed higher birth defect rates on semaglutide but "there's no evidence that this happens in humans." Second, that a study showed diabetic patients on GLP-1 drugs did not have a higher rate of birth defects compared to diabetics not on the drug. His practical advice was simple: if you find out you're pregnant while on these medications, stop taking them.

To his credit, he did not catastrophize. He did not tell viewers their babies would be harmed. He framed it as a precautionary issue, not a confirmed danger. That's a more measured take than a lot of what circulates on TikTok about GLP-1 drugs and pregnancy.

That said, a plastic surgeon speaking about reproductive pharmacology and teratogenicity is already a yellow flag worth noting. This is not his clinical lane.

Does the science back this up?

Partially, yes. The animal data concern is real, and the human reassurance he references tracks with the available evidence, though "no evidence of harm" is not the same as "proven safe."

Semaglutide does carry a warning in its prescribing information based on animal reproductive studies showing embryofetal toxicity at doses producing exposures similar to clinical use. In rat and rabbit studies, there were structural abnormalities and reduced fetal weight. The FDA label explicitly states semaglutide should be discontinued at least two months before a planned pregnancy.

On the human side, a 2024 study by Sonaoglu et al. published in Diabetes Care examined GLP-1 receptor agonist use in pregnant women with type 2 diabetes and found no statistically significant increase in major congenital malformations compared to insulin-treated controls. A separate 2023 Danish registry study by Lund et al. in the Annals of Internal Medicine reached broadly similar conclusions, though it flagged significant data limitations around first-trimester exposure timing.

So the human evidence is early and incomplete, not conclusive.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

He got the broad strokes right. The animal concern is legitimate. The human data so far is not alarming. Stopping the drug upon discovering pregnancy is the correct advice. These are not controversial positions among endocrinologists or OB/GYNs.

Where he oversimplifies is in the phrase "it depends on one thing," implying there's a clean binary answer here. The reality is messier. Whether a pregnant person should have been on semaglutide at all depends on gestational timing, indication, diabetes control, BMI, and access to alternatives. That nuance never made it into the video.

He also glosses over a meaningful gap in the research: most human studies to date involve GLP-1 use for type 2 diabetes, not weight management. The population of people getting pregnant unexpectedly on Wegovy or Ozempic for obesity is different, and we have almost no specific data on congenital outcomes in that group.

Finally, calling semaglutide simply "Ozempic" throughout conflates the diabetes-indicated brand with Wegovy, the weight-management version. Different indications, different populations, same active molecule. The distinction matters for a fact-check audience.

What should you actually know?

If you are using a GLP-1 medication and are sexually active with pregnancy possible, here is what the current evidence supports.

• GLP-1 drugs are not approved for use during pregnancy. The FDA label for semaglutide recommends discontinuation at least two months before attempting conception.
• An unplanned pregnancy while on semaglutide does not mean your pregnancy is doomed. The human data, while limited, has not shown a clear signal of increased birth defects.
• GLP-1 drugs may improve fertility indirectly by reducing insulin resistance and supporting ovulation in women with PCOS, which is part of why unplanned pregnancies are being reported more frequently. This is a real phenomenon with a plausible mechanism.
• If you discover you are pregnant while using a GLP-1 drug, stopping the medication promptly is the right move. Contact your prescriber, not just your social media feed.
• The research base here is still developing. Anyone claiming certainty in either direction is overstating what the data actually shows.