Doctor explains 'Ozempic penis' phenomenon after men begin reporting side effect
A doctor has explained what the ‘Ozempic penis’ phenomenon is after men began reporting the bizarre side effect.
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been taking the world by storm, with users experiencing life changing results.
Plenty celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon with the likes of Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Clarkson openly admitting to take these types of medication.
However, there have also been some side effects that have been noticed, with one particular effect happening to penises.
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Taking to social media to share his own experience, one user explained how the drug was affecting him on Reddit.
In a post, the person shared how he had measured his penis before and after taking Ozempic and noticed that it had grown by an inch.
One user replied: “Better blood flow to the area as well as fat loss.”
Another said: “It’s the weight loss around the pubic area. It just looks bigger (which doesn’t suck) and probably works better.”
And a third added: “Y’all losing FADA (fat above d*** area). Congrats!”
While it seems that the penis isn’t actually getting bigger and instead it is the loss of fat around it that is making it seem bigger, other studies report that penis sizes could be changing due to Ozempic.
Can Ozempic impact your penis size?
According to a report by Diabetes.co.uk, the average penis size in the UK has increased by 0.46 inches between 2022 and 2024, and this growth could be due to weight loss drugs like Ozempic.
Dr Richard Viney, who is a consultant urological surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, said: “Men’s penises shorten as they get older [due to] increasing body fat and increasing prostate size drawing the penis back into the body.
“It is theoretically possible new drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are used to treat diabetes and obesity respectively and can cause people to lose weight, could also be a factor. As men lose weight, their penises appear larger.”
YouTuber Dr Jen Caudle also detailed how this phenomenon is happening, adding: "I'm not aware of any data that suggests these medications causes a change in penis size. No, that's not something they do. However, you know what I think is going on? I think that as men are losing weight, their penis is appearing larger."
And pharmacist Navin Khosla doesn’t think the data is super important, adding: “While the data is interesting, penis size doesn’t matter in a medical sense.
“Just like how some people prefer different fashion styles, eye colours, or characteristics in a partner, some people are more attracted to larger penises or breasts, while others prefer smaller ones.”
Either way, it’s a surprising side effect for the drug that celebrities are swearing by.