My friend Sara, eight weeks after giving birth, left me a tearful voicemail. I\u2019m a clinical psychologist specializing in postpartum depression and psychosis, but mental health wasn\u2019t Sara\u2019s issue. Postpartum weight gain was.<\/p>\n
Sara told me she needed help. She\u2019d gained 40 pounds during her pregnancy, and she was still 25 pounds overweight. \u201cI\u2019m going back to work and I can\u2019t look like this,\u201d she said. \u201cI need to take Ozempic or something. But do you know if it\u2019s safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Great question. Unfortunately researchers don\u2019t yet have an answer. On Dec. 1, the World Health Organization released its first guidelines on the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists<\/a> such as Ozempic, generically known as semaglutide. One of the notable policy suggestions in that report is to not prescribe GLP-1s to pregnant women. Disappointingly, the report says nothing about the use of the drug by postpartum women, including those who are breastfeeding.<\/p>\n There was a recent Danish study<\/a> that led to medical guidelines against prescribing to patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding.<\/p>\n None of that is what my friend wanted to hear. I could only encourage her to speak to her own medical doctor.<\/p>\n Sara\u2019s not alone. I\u2019ve seen a trend emerging in my practice in which women use GLP-1s to shed postpartum weight. The warp speed \u201cbounce-back\u201d ideal of body shapes for new mothers has reemerged, despite the mental health field\u2019s advocacy to abolish the archaic pressure of martyrdom in motherhood. GLP-1s are being sold and distributed by compound pharmacies like candy. And judging by their popularity, nothing tastes sweeter than skinny feels.<\/p>\n New motherhood can be a stressful time for bodies and minds, but nature has also set us up for incredible growth at that moment. Contrary to the myth of spaced-out \u201cmommy brains,\u201d new neuroplasticity research<\/a> shows that maternal brains are rewired<\/a> for immense creativity and problem solving.<\/p>\n