Does Ozempic Interfere With Birth Control | Birth Control

99 is about as close to one hundred as you can get, and it’s been said that oral contraceptive medications are in the vicinity of 99% effective for birth control. So, there is still the most minuscule 1 in 100 chance that a woman will still get pregnant, but she’s willing to take those odds while continuing to enjoy unprotected sex. She should have the freedom to do that, and pharmacology makes it possible. But anything less than those odds, and maybe she is reconsidering it all. Ozempic is a popular medication for men and women these days, but does Ozempic interfere with birth control?   

It’s a fair question, and it is true that Ozempic and other medications that promote gastroparesis can reduce the effectiveness of birth control. It doesn’t happen often, and for most women, these types of Ozempic side effects have no correlation with does Ozempic interfere with birth control. But it is a possibility for some women, and of course, ending up with an unplanned pregnancy is going to be plenty problematic for any young woman who is counting on that 99% effectiveness assurance for her birth control medication. 

So, if you’re asking can you take Ozempic with birth control, you’ll be best advised to talk to your doctor. The answer is that you probably can, but if you have other digestive function issues that are altering your digestion, then it may be that you’re more prone to even greater slowed stomach emptying. As is the case with any oral medication, birth control pills are broken down in the stomach, and the medicated ingredients are absorbed through the cells of the stomach lining. 

It’s important for food to be processed on a normal timeline and ‘moving along’ the way it should for that to happen. If it doesn’t, you may not be absorbing the medication to the extent you need to be for reliable birth control and pregnancy prevention. 

Speed Up

That is the primary issue with does Ozempic interfere with birth control, but one of the more standard Ozempic side effects for women is that it will make their menstrual cycle start earlier. This usually isn’t a problem, but for most women, it will be something they can’t help but note and depending on the way your physiology works, it may be something you want to be prepared for. Some women report that this change is only temporary, but either way, it is a result of how Semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic – promotes hormonal changes in the body. 

Interestingly enough, it is hormone changes that suppress appetite and make it possible to lose weight with Ozempic. Can you take Ozempic with birth control medication? You can, and there are plenty of women who will be using Ozempic for that aim while being on birth control at the same time. But if you have concerns about hormone changes and slowed stomach emptying affecting birth control effectiveness, then using a birth control patch may be the better choice. 

You might also want to consider the Annovera or Nuva birth control ring method. Either means you don’t have to have your medications absorbed through the stomach lining, and the role of gastroparesis isn’t going to be a factor with does Ozempic interfere with birth control.