THE SHORT ANSWER
Yes, you can get pregnant with PCOS after using a GLP-1 such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. The medicine has to be stopped before you conceive. GLP-1s are not fertility drugs. They help by lowering insulin resistance and weight, which can restart ovulation. At RFC you keep taking yours during your workup, then stop on a schedule set for your treatment.
Medically reviewed by Zaher Merhi, MD · Board certified in OB/GYN, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, and High-Complexity Laboratory DirectionLast updated October 8, 2026
How to get pregnant with PCOS at RFC
Five steps, and your GLP-1 stays in place for the first two.
1
GLP-1 Fertility Consult
We review your medicine, dose and how long you have taken it, plus your cycles and your hormone and metabolic labs.
2
Workup while you stay on your GLP-1
Ultrasound, bloodwork and a partner semen analysis happen without pausing your medicine.
3
Your written stop-and-start plan
You get a stop date matched to your treatment. If you need support for blood sugar or weight after stopping, your doctor plans it with you, for example with metformin.
4
العلاج
Ovulation induction, IUI, IVF or egg freezing, with gentle stimulation protocols suited to PCOS ovaries.
How GLP-1s affect fertility in PCOS
Most women with PCOS have some insulin resistance. High insulin pushes the ovaries to make more androgens, which can stop ovulation. GLP-1 medicines lower insulin resistance and body weight.
From Dr. Merhi's research
Dr. Merhi has published on GLP-1 medicines and fertility, including a 2024 review in PLoS One comparing what social media says about GLP-1s and fertility with what the evidence shows, and a 2025 review of their effects on reproductive health in women without PCOS. His earlier work on advanced glycation end products (AGEs) helped describe how metabolic stress affects the ovary in PCOS.
When to stop your GLP-1 before fertility treatment
RFC patients can take a GLP-1 during workup, preparation and the rejuvenation period. Stop on the timeline for your treatment below. When two rules overlap, the stricter one applies.
Applies to semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), dulaglutide (Trulicity), exenatide and any compounded version.
Why: GLP-1s slow how fast the stomach empties, which raises the risk of breathing in stomach contents under sedation. FDA labeling for semaglutide advises stopping at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy
Freezing your eggs?
No two-month break.
You stop before stimulation begins and can restart once you have recovered from retrieval.
Taking a GLP-1 for diabetes?
Do not stop on your own. Your primary care doctor will coordinate a switch to pregnancy-safe blood sugar control first.
No BMI cutoff: why we don't make you wait
Many clinics set a BMI limit for IVF and send women away to lose weight first. RFC does not. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has stated there is no medical basis for a blanket BMI cutoff to deny fertility treatment.
Waiting does not reliably pay off either. In a randomized trial of 379 women with obesity, intensive weight loss before treatment did not raise healthy live births compared with exercise alone.
So we plan for your body as it is today: anesthesia review before retrieval, lower-dose stimulation, close monitoring, and a GLP-1 plan that fits around treatment instead of delaying it.