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107:: How Ozempic affects your fertility! A quick dive into the newest research!
Episode 135 • 29th June 2026 • Wellness Big Sis: The Pod • Dr. Kelsy Vick
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There's a new headline going around claiming Ozempic might help with fertility — so Dr. Kelsy Vick (board-certified Doctor of Physical Therapy) went straight to the source: the actual research presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual conference.

In this episode, we break down two separate findings — one in women with PMOS (formerly known as PCOS) and one in men — and what they actually mean. Spoiler: it's not "Ozempic cures infertility." It's something more specific, more mechanistic, and honestly more interesting than the headlines suggest.

We cover the RESTORE trial out of University of Colorado Anschutz and what it found about semaglutide, weight loss, and ovulation in women with PMOS. We also cover a separate UK-based review of male fertility data — including some genuinely surprising findings about sperm quality and testosterone. Plus, the bigger pattern connecting both: why metabolic health and reproductive health are far more linked than most people realize.

This episode is educational, not medical advice. If semaglutide and fertility are relevant to your life right now, this episode is designed to help you have a smarter, more informed conversation with your provider — not to replace one.

In this episode:

  • What ENDO 2026 actually presented on semaglutide and fertility
  • The connection between PMOS, insulin resistance, and ovulation
  • What the RESTORE trial has found so far — and what it hasn't proven yet
  • Surprising new data on GLP-1 medications and male fertility
  • Why metabolic health and reproductive health are more connected than you think
  • The honest caveats nobody's headline is including

New to PMOS? Go back and listen to our full deep-dive episode on the PCOS-to-PMOS renaming and what it means for diagnosis — linked below.

If this episode helped you make sense of the headlines, I'd love for you to leave a review — it helps another woman who needs to find this podcast.

102:: PCOS is dead. Meet the new & improved PMOS. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/f2f7f219-c9c5-46ae-8cd3-cb1f05467302/

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Transcripts

Speaker:

Welcome to Wellness Fixes the Pod, a

by Maven Media production, where we

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believe you deserve real education

from real experts, delivered

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in a way you can actually use.

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I'm Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, your board certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy, and

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this podcast was built for the girl who

is done feeling overwhelmed and frustrated

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by conflicting health noise and is ready

for something she can actually trust.

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Every week we have honest, science-backed

conversations about your health,

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your hormones, your brain, your

body, and everything in between.

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No fluff, no fear-mongering,

just the truth.

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Because understanding your

body is the most powerful

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thing you can do for yourself.

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A table full of experts built for

the curious girl who wants the truth.

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So welcome.

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Your seat is waiting for you.

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Ozempic and fertility.

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Two words that I did not expect to go

together this month, but here we are

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A major endocrine

conference just presented

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Some very interesting early data

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Let's break it down without the hype.

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Welcome back to Wellness Big Sis the pod.

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I'm your host, Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, a board-certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy

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and a pelvic floor physical therapist

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And Endo 2026 just wrapped up at

the time I'm filming this episode.

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We are still doing our wedding

prep series, so this will come out

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as soon after that as possible.

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But the Endo 2026 conference just

wrapped up in Chicago, which is

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the Endocrine Society's

big annual conference

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And one of the most talked

about presentations was on

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semaglutide and reproductive health

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Semaglutide is the active

component in Ozempic and Wegovy

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A GLP-1 medication initially designed

for diabetes, but now getting

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studied to be utilized in a wide

range of other health conditions

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We've heard it more recently and way more

trending in the realm of weight loss.

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But I thought this presentation on its

use in reproductive health, especially

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reproductive health for women with

PCOS, PMOS, which if you missed that

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episode, PCOS got a rebrand to PMOS.

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So I will try and use that PMOS

terminology throughout this episode.

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But just know if you have

PCOS, you have PMOS now.

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They're doing this name change.

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It's gonna take a while to be fully

adopted, but PCOS is now PMOS.

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So do not get confused if you hear

me say PMOS throughout this episode.

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So this is preliminary early

stage research, not necessarily

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a green light that this is how

clinical practice should be.

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This is how all research goes, where

there's initial studies that start to

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validate different hypotheses and then

future studies to test and work on

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different controls and fine-tune and

see which demographics it applies to.

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So we are in the early stage

of all of this, but it's truly

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interesting research on the use of

semaglutide for reproductive health

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So as a quick refresher, what is PMOS?

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PMOS is the new term for PCOS.

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It is polyendocrine metabolic

ovarian syndrome rather than the

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previous polycystic ovarian syndrome

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I'll leave the link to our full episode

that we just recently did below.

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But as a sort of quick overview on

what PMOS actually is and the true

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root cause of some of the symptoms and

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of some of the challenges

that people face with PMOS

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PMOS is a complex multi-system condition

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involving the metabolic system, the

endocrine system, And the ovaries.

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It is not just a reproductive issue,

and it does not have to include cysts.

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There were actually never cysts at all.

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They were just arrested follicles

at that stage in their development

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that looked like cysts.

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But cysts were never part of the

equation, which is why, part of the

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reason why PCOS had a rebrand to PMOS or

polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome

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The metabolic piece is exactly

why the semaglutide and fertility

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conversation is so important PMOS

is not a primary fertility problem

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It's a metabolic and hormonal

problem that can sometimes

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manifest as a fertility issue

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Which is precisely the way and the

mechanism behind why semaglutide

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might actually lead to improvement in

reproductive health for these girls with

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PMOS.

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As semaglutide often targets the

metabolic component of our bodies

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PMOS affects about 170

million women worldwide.

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So this study is probably relevant to a

wide majority of you So researchers from

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the University of Colorado Anschutz looked

at a subset of participants in something

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called the RESTORE Trial, an ongoing study

testing whether semaglutide or metformin

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can restore ovulation in adolescents

and adults with PMOS and obesity.

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So the studied participants were between

the ages of 12 to 35 who lost at least 10%

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of their body weight while on semaglutide.

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And again, this is an ongoing study, which

is why that age range is so large, because

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the idea would be that you're tracking

a lot of these women that, and girls

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that are part of the study as they move

throughout different stages of their life

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and their hormonal journey

throughout our lives

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So here's what they found.

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Reproductive markers improved,

and they improved earlier

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than the researchers expected.

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That's actually why this preliminary

data got published now instead of

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waiting for the full trial to wrap up

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In PMOS, there's a relative rise

in androgens, those male hormones

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alongside insulin resistance

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That combination can stall egg

development and disrupt ovulation

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Without regular ovulation,

conceiving becomes very difficult

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And unpredictable, which is how the

metabolic and hormonal component of

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PMOS ties into the fertility component

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excess body fat also

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produces additional estrogen, further

disrupting that hormonal balance,

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that hormonal song and dance needed

for menstrual cycle regularity

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Higher body weight can

also affect egg quality

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and even the uterine lining itself,

making implantation that much harder

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So the logic behind the

study was that if semaglutide

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helps with significant weight loss.

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And weight loss can

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help address the underlying insulin

resistance and hormonal imbalance

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ovulation may naturally

improve as a downstream effect

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It's not that semaglutide is directly

boosting fertility But it's helping

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to treat that metabolic root cause

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that was disrupting

fertility in the first place

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So before anyone with PMO S rushes

to get a semaglutide prescription,

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remember this is early on.

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So let's chat about what the

study actually does tell us and

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maybe some of the limitations

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This is a preliminary analysis of a subset

Of a larger still ongoing trial It's not a

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completed peer-reviewed research study yet

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So yes, this is still a small sample

size, which is one of the limitations

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The big question is we don't know

whether or not these reproductive

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improvements are sustained long term

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That's one of the reasons the RESTORE

trial is continuing to run to see is

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this an acute improvement or does the

use of semaglutide to help women with

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PMOS have more of these long-term

effects on their reproductive health?

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The researchers themselves frame this as

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weight loss and metabolic improvement

driving the fertility benefit

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not semaglutide having a direct

effect on fertility itself.

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Semaglutide is not currently

recommended during pregnancy

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And there isn't enough safety data yet on

its usage during that preconception phase

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If ovulation does improve And someone

becomes more fertile on the medication

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That raises real practical questions

on timing, dosage monitoring,

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and communication with a provider

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Which is why this conversation is

definitely one to have with your

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provider, not just this like do it

yourself way of improving your fertility

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This is promising.

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Mechanistically, it makes sense.

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Early stage data

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And not an official recommended

prescription or clinical treatment.

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But I thought it was a super cool

study to dive into, especially since

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the researchers themselves felt

like this research was worthy enough

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to be presented at this new phase,

rather than waiting until the full

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study and the full trial was over.

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I love that this is this unselfish act for

them to say, "This is what we're finding.

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If anyone else has this interest and

wants to study or sees this in their

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own clinical practice this is one

of the things that we're finding and

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might be able to help these women

with PMOS with some of the fertility

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challenges that they have and some of

these fertility fears that they have."

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I also think this is one of the

primary examples on why PCOS

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actually needed this rebrand to PMOS.

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We talked about how semaglutide affects

the metabolic system in our bodies.

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If PCOS was still viewed as polycystic

ovarian syndrome, there's a lot of

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people who wouldn't understand that

the metabolic component is one of

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the parts that underlies some of

the fertility challenges of PMOS.

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So I think this is another example of the

positive benefit that is going to come to

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girls with PMOS because of the name change

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So let's talk about the other side of

the conference and what they found in men

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For years, there has been this

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lingering worry that some of these

medications might affect male fertility,

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But the new data says the opposite A

separate research team from University

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Hospitals Coventry in Warwickshire

and Warwick Medical School in the UK

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reviewed the randomized controlled

trial, specifically looking at GLP-1

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drugs and male reproductive health.

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So men between the ages of eighteen

and sixty-five were studied

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comparing GLP-1 medications like

semaglutide and liraglutide against

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placebo or alternative treatments.

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What they found, there was no

evidence of negative effects on

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testosterone, reproductive hormones,

sexual function, or sperm quality.

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A twenty-four-week semaglutide

trial actually showed improved sperm

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morphology, meaning healthier shaped

sperm and improved cholesterol levels

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while keeping hormone levels stable.

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A separate sixteen-week liraglutide

trial found increased testosterone and

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related reproductive hormones in men

with obesity-related low testosterone.

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Notably, the overall health

outcome in these men were better

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than what's typically seen with

testosterone replacement therapy

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alone So why does this matter for

us on this female-specific podcast?

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obesity-related low

testosterone is incredibly

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common and fits into the other side of

the equation when trying to conceive.

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We've done a male fertility episode,

which is why I wanted to include this

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study that was also presented at the

ENDO:

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low testosterone is very common

and often treated with testosterone

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replacement therapy, which doesn't

address the underlying metabolic

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cause and can actually suppress

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natural sperm production in some cases

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This research suggests that treating the

obesity itself, that metabolic component

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Rather than just replacing testosterone

may be the smarter long-term approach

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for both hormone health

and fertility preservation

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So the fear that some of these

medications might negatively impact

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male fertility seems to be unfounded,

especially with this newer data

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and may actually help improve fertility

Compared to some of the typical

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current treatment recommendations

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And if you're thinking, "Okay, so

semaglutide affecting the metabolic

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component can also help male fertility,"

sounds very similar to semaglutide helping

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the metabolic and weight loss component

for females to also help our fertility.

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You're noticing a little bit of

a pattern and a little bit of a

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connection there In both men and

women, the research is pointing

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to the same underlying truth Obesity and

metabolic dysfunction are major underlying

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well-established disruptors of

reproductive hormone signaling

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In women, this can look like disrupted

ovulation, hormone imbalance, and

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impaired egg quality In men, this

can look like low testosterone

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functional hypogonadism

and impaired sperm quality

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So both of these studies show

that rather than treating the

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Reproductive symptoms in isolation

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like doing fertility treatments in

women and testosterone replacement

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therapy in men Addressing the

root metabolic dysfunction first

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may produce better and more sustainable

reproductive outcomes so much of

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female and male hormonal health

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is downstream of metabolic health

insulin resistance, chronic inflammation

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and exercise adiposity

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don't just affect how you feel day to day

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They directly interfere with some of the

hormonal systems that govern Reproduction

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So finally, the connection between

our reproductive health and our

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metabolic health is getting the

much-needed attention that it

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deserves this is genuinely exciting

early-stage research that I feel like

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not a lot of people will know about.

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So bring this up at your next

dinner party conversation.

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Weave this in because this is that

early-stage data that I feel like is going

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to become more mainstream as the studies

progress and more and more studies are

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presented understanding and researching

the effects of metabolism and reproduction

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And it's a great example why

root cause thinking in medicine

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actually matters rather than

just putting something, putting

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a Band-Aid over something and

treating what is at the surface

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So if you have PMOS and are currently

in your own fertility journey,

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these might be some studies that you

bring to your healthcare provider

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to chat through and discuss.

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This is not a DIY thing.

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This is not me recommending it.

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This is truly early stage data.

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But if you have hit a wall when it

comes to your own fertility journey

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and you happen to have PMOS or an

underlying metabolic component to

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your fertility challenges, this might

be very helpful in helping you to

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achieve the reproductive goal you have

in mind, whether that is conception

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or just better understanding your

own menstrual cycle and ovulatory

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patterns, or regaining ovulation

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So a quick episode, but I

hope you guys enjoyed it.

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I know I learned a lot.

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When I was first presented with this

information, I was like, "Okay, we

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have to talk about it," because it's

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Going to be very important

for 170 million, but also that

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male side of the equation too.

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So it reminds me of what

we talked about with Dr.

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Emily back on in early in the year,

in January, February timeframe,

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where she was saying a lot of

medications are presented as one way.

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So birth control medication

presented for birth control.

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Semaglutide and Ozempic and

Wegovy presented as weight loss.

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But if we can look at it from a different

lens and realize that all of these

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medications have systemic effects and

full body effects, if we can use them in

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a positive way for another system within

our body, let's open it up and decrease

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some of the fear surrounding this weight

loss drug or this drug that has been

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previously prescribed for something else.

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So it's, reminiscent of

that conversation with Dr.

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Emily.

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So I hope you guys learned a lot.

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I know I did, and I will see you

guys again on the next episode

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of Wellness Fixes the Pod.

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