Does Wegovy affect your menstrual cycle?

In this article:

• Wegovy and menstrual cycle changes
• Can Wegovy affect your period?
• What to do if you experience menstrual changes on Wegovy

In this article

• Wegovy and menstrual cycle changes
• Can Wegovy affect your period?
• What to do if you experience menstrual changes on Wegovy

As one of only three glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists approved for weight loss in people with obesity or who are overweight, Wegovy (semaglutide) is on its way to becoming as popular as its Type 2 diabetes-approved counterpart, Ozempic. 

In addition to weight loss, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wegovy for reducing the risk of heart problems in adults with cardiovascular disease who either have obesity or are overweight. But with more people using Wegovy, there’s been an uptick in the reporting of symptoms not originally seen in clinical trials. For example, since Wegovy was FDA approved for weight loss in 2021, women taking the drug have reported changes to their menstrual cycle, including vaginal spotting and irregular or more frequent menstrual periods. 

Wegovy is known to stabilize your blood sugar, slow down your digestion, and suppress your appetite, but it isn’t known to directly impact your menstrual cycle—so why are women reporting changes? Here’s what you need to know about Wegovy and its potential connection to your period, including what you should do if you experience menstrual changes while taking it.

Wegovy and menstrual cycle changes

According to Katrina Mattingly, MD, obesity medicine specialist and chief medical officer of physician-supervised weight loss center Options Medical Weight Loss, women have been reporting various menstrual cycle changes on Wegovy—from lighter, shorter periods to heavier periods.

However, the most common change reported so far seems to be the normalization of menstrual cycles. Though reports are preliminary at this point and more research is needed, a few small studies and a flood of anecdotal evidence suggest that overweight women who were not menstruating regularly before taking Wegovy are now having more regular periods. 

In some cases, these changes have resulted not only in a normal menstrual cycle but also in pregnancy for women who previously struggled with infertility or had a history of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). “[People who] experienced irregular cycles or fertility are reporting more regular and predictable cycles with an uptick in pregnancies,” Dr. Mattingly says. This is sometimes referred to as the “Ozempic baby boom,” as Ozempic and Wegovy share the same active ingredient: semaglutide.

Can Wegovy affect your period?

To be clear, Wegovy itself hasn’t been shown to have any direct impact on your reproductive system or your menstrual cycle, but that doesn’t mean there’s no connection between Wegovy and period changes at all. 

“Wegovy can potentially impact the menstrual cycle by causing rapid weight loss,” says Kecia Gaither, MD, an OB-GYN and maternal-fetal medicine specialist and director of Perinatal Services/Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx. “Significant weight loss can impact [the hormonal balance of estrogen and progesterone], leading to menstrual irregularities like missed periods, heavy or light periods, and irregular periods.”

“This is especially true when your estrogen levels change due to weight loss,” says Dr. Mattingly. Estrogen is a key regulator in your menstrual cycle that’s produced by fatty (adipose) tissue. And when you lose large amounts of fat, your estrogen levels can also drop, potentially causing lighter or shorter cycles and disrupting a previously normal, predictable cycle.

However, the opposite can also be true, especially for women who did not have regular menstrual cycles before taking Wegovy. “Weight loss also helps increase insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin resistance, which is helpful [in normalizing menstrual cycles] for patients with PCOS,” Dr. Mattingly says.

For example, a recent, small study of women with PCOS and obesity found that six months of low-dose semaglutide normalized menstrual cycles and significantly lowered body mass index (BMI) in 80% of participants. Previously, the participants had not responded to other types of weight loss treatments or lifestyle changes. Although Wegovy isn’t FDA approved for the treatment of PCOS, it’s often prescribed as an off-label treatment in combination with other medications and lifestyle changes.

Since Wegovy is still a relatively new weight loss medication, experts are working with preliminary information about its effects on the menstrual cycle. More research is needed before a clear relationship can be defined or predictions can be made about how likely it is that Wegovy will affect your period, especially since the medication doesn’t directly affect menstruation. 

What to do if you experience menstrual changes on Wegovy

“You shouldn’t be alarmed or concerned if you notice some minor changes to your period or even your premenstrual symptoms. Both weight loss fluctuations and hormones play major roles in the regulation of your cycle,” Dr. Mattingly says.

Additionally, common Wegovy side effects like nausea, vomiting, and suppressed appetite can impact the overall intake of protein, nutrients, and fluids, all of which help support a healthy menstrual cycle, according to Dr. Mattingly. If you think your lighter or heavier periods are diet-related, she recommends taking a daily vitamin and drinking protein shakes, electrolyte replacements, or bone broth to replenish these key nutrients and fluids. 

RELATED: Does Wegovy make you tired?

That said, you should let your healthcare provider know if you’re experiencing changes to your menstrual period while taking Wegovy. Dr. Gaither says it’s important to determine whether the medication is actually causing those changes or if they have another cause. Likewise, if Wegovy is causing serious, disruptive changes to your cycle, Dr. Gaither says you may need to adjust your dosage or even switch medications. 

Finally, Dr. Mattingly says women of childbearing age experiencing menstrual changes like missed periods or spotting on Wegovy should confirm they aren’t pregnant—even if they’re on birth control. Because Wegovy delays gastric emptying (the rate at which food moves through your stomach), Dr. Mattingly says oral contraceptives are being absorbed more slowly, too, and may become less effective. Experts don’t know yet about the safety of taking semaglutide during pregnancy, so it’s important to confirm pregnancy as soon as possible while taking Wegovy and get in touch with your healthcare provider about discontinuing the medication.