It feels like every week we're hearing about a new side effect of weight-loss drugs. These medications are often referred to as Ozempic, even though that specific medication is approved only for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but prescribed off-label for weight loss. Nevertheless, the catch-all use of the brand name has led to nicknames for side effects like "Ozempic babies" and "Ozempic face." The latest is "Ozempic breasts," with women on weight-loss medication reporting that they've experienced significant changes to their breast shape and size.
RELATED: Women Reveal "Crazy" Side Effects After Quitting Ozempic.
Treatments like Ozempic and its sister drug, Wegovy (which is approved for chronic weight management), help people drop weight quickly, which can naturally cause breasts to decrease in size.
One Ozempic patient, Jeniffer Brown, dropped 40 pounds on the medication, but while she reached her goal weight, she also had looser skin throughout her body, including in her chest.
"My breasts definitely got saggier, but it was more the pockets for my implants got too big at that point and my implant was flipping. That breast fat was gone,” Brown told the Los Angeles Times in February, adding that she also noticed changes in her face.
"For our breasts, the majority of the tissue is actually fat and, in general, when you lose fat you lose that size in your breasts too," Smita Ramanadham, MD, FACS, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, told the Daily Mail. "I think what we have to remember is that any weight loss affects the whole body, and one person's experience will likely be different from another's. It is best to consult your doctor before using the medications."
RELATED: Ozempic Patients Reveal Major Side Effect When You Stop Taking It.
However, unconfirmed statements on Reddit also noted that in some instances, breasts appear to be getting bigger.
One patient took to Reddit on his wife's behalf, adding that he and his wife were both on semaglutide (the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy)—but they weren't losing weight, and his wife's breasts were getting bigger while on the medication.
"She says she is more uncomfortable because now her tops are getting tighter," the Redditor wrote.
In response, another Redditor on semaglutide said that in her experience, her breasts appear to simply look larger, as opposed to having actually gotten bigger.
"I think in my case it's actually that I'm losing the fat on my sides so my boobs both look and feel bigger," they wrote.
In the same thread, others offered up theories that there may be a hormonal reason that breasts enlarge while on the treatment. However, experts told the Daily Mail that while fat loss could cause breast swelling initially, this situation is "rare."
And as Jonathan Kaplan, MD, MPH, board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco, suggests on TikTok, these changes shouldn't dissuade people who need the medication from taking it.
@realdrbae #greenscreen Introducing the new “Ozempic face”… 🙄
"When you lose a large amount of weight through any means, your body's gonna change. It's gonna be somewhat deflated because you're gonna be losing fat, and as you lose fat, your skin becomes looser, so the face and the breasts begin to sag," Kaplan explains.
But while fillers may help with "Ozempic face," they're not likely to be as effective if you notice your breasts changing in size, Kaplan says. In that case, patients may want to look into a breast lift, implants, or a combination.
"So don't let these viral nicknames like 'Ozempic face' [scare you]—'I don't want Ozempic face'—cause it really is all associated with weight loss, and you need to consider taking these medications if it's going to improve your health."
RELATED: Men on Ozempic Are Reporting "Embarrassing" Sexual Side Effects.
In response to Best Life's request for comment, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said that "patient safety is our top priority," and noted that the company works closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to monitor the safety of medications. This includes semaglutide, which is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist.
"GLP-1 medicines have been used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) for more than 18 years, and for the treatment of obesity for 8 years. This includes Novo Nordisk GLP-1 products such as semaglutide and liraglutide that have been on the market for more than 13 years," the spokesperson said.
They continued, "Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real world evidence studies and has cumulatively over 9.5 million patient years of clinical experience. The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling. Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional."
Best Life offers the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you're taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.
