While Mounjaro is generally safe for most people, there’s some things you should bear in mind while using it. Like, for instance, that it might interact with other medicines—including your birth control pills.
Don’t worry, you can still protect against pregnancy while taking Mounjaro. But if you’re on the pill, you might need to take some extra precautions. We’ve explained everything you need to know about Mounjaro and contraception below.
How Mounjaro works in the body?
Before we get into it, let’s take a quick look at how Mounjaro works.
Mounjaro weight loss injections make you feel full, so you eat less. They do that by acting like two of the body’s natural hunger hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, to slow down your digestion and keep cravings at bay.
Can Mounjaro make my oral contraception less effective?
It might. Mounjaro’s effect on the gut can also impact how well oral medicines, like birth control pills, can be absorbed by your body. That means that they may not work as well.
There’s limited scientific evidence looking at Mounjaro and the pill. But the results we do have show that Mounjaro reduces how well birth control tablets are absorbed.
So, it’s better to err on the side of caution and use an additional barrier method of contraception (condoms) throughout your Mounjaro journey and one month after stopping. We’ve covered the advice on using Mounjaro and contraception in more detail below.
By the way: Mounjaro isn’t recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vomiting, diarrhoea, and birth control pills
Mounjaro can also bring on side effects like nausea, being sick, or diarrhoea. These may affect over one in ten people on the medicine—and they might also prevent your birth control pills from being fully absorbed.
If you’re sick less than 3 hours after taking the combined pill, or up to 4 hours if you’re on Qlaira or Zoely, take your next pill asap. You can then take the next one at your usual time. But if your symptoms carry on after that, use another type of contraceptive as well as the pill until you’ve taken the pill for a week without being sick.
The same goes for diarrhoea. If you have it for over 24 hours, keep taking your pill as normal but use another contraceptive until your symptoms have been gone for a week.
What are your contraception options while using Mounjaro?
We’re glad you asked! If you’re taking Mounjaro and the pill, and you’re sexually active, you should also use condoms throughout your treatment journey, up to and including 30 days after you stop taking Mounjaro.
Alternatively, you could switch to another method that isn’t taken as a pill, like the Mirena or copper coils, or the contraceptive patch. Your provider can walk you through your options and help you decide which is best.
Is Mounjaro right for you?
Not everyone should take Mounjaro. For example, it’s not recommended if you’re planning to get pregnant, are breastfeeding, or have ever had thyroid cancer. But if it is suitable for you, it can be a gamechanger.
Weight loss medication can be a great option if you’ve tried to lose weight another way but didn’t get the results you hoped for. Clinical research shows that people who take the injections lose up to 22.5% of their starting weight.
And we’re here to help you reach your goals. Through our weight loss programme, you’ll get medicine posted to you each month plus personalised support from our team of coaches and clinicians. We’ll be right there with you, cheering you on at every step of your journey.
Take our quiz to see if you’re eligible for the programme. Our clinicians will come back to you within minutes.
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