Weight-loss jab users warned about relationship side effect no one prepares you for

A woman who lost 40kg after taking Mounjaro says the fallout has sent her and her husband of 34 years into couples therapy.

Mounjaro, a GLP-1 weight loss drug, helps patients lose weight by suppressing appetite and slowing down digestion.

Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, but one woman says it also had a negative impact on her marriage.

Jennifer, 57, told The Guardian she'd struggled with her weight since she was a child, and started taking Mounjaro in 2023.

She said previously she'd blamed her weight on her and her husband's struggles with physical intimacy, but her perspective shifted after successfully losing weight on the drug.

She said her husband suggested couples therapy after she didn't 'magically become more physically demonstrative in the bedroom' following her weight loss.

GLP-1 medication has exploded in popularity (Getty Images)

Without being able to blame her weight for their issues in the bedroom, Jennifer says the cracks in her marriage became more apparent.

She also said her increased confidence following the weight loss means she's 'less afraid' of the relationship failing, so holds her husband 'to a higher standard than I used to'.

What does the science say about weight loss drugs and marital breakdown?

While it may be too early to say, some studies have indicated a correlation between weight loss medication and marital breakdown.

A study carried out by Professor Per-Arne Svensson at the University of Gothenburg looked at 12,531 married patients who had bariatric surgery, a different form of weight loss treatment.

This found that divorce rates among the couples where one person had the treatment were 14.4 percent within six years, compared to 8.2 percent of the overall population, The Telegraph reports.

Many people are now taking the medication for weight loss (Getty Stock)

“Very similar mechanisms could occur with Ozempic [and other GLP-1 receptor agonists] as with surgery, with regards to changes in relationships,” Prof Svensson told the publication.

However, others have warned that while it is potentially interesting, more research is needed to know for sure.

Dr Mark Mellor is a GP and bariatric doctor, and warned that carrying out research into this would be difficult.

“Human libido and relationships are complex at their core, so it would be very difficult to extrapolate what it is about these medicines specifically that would have an impact there," he told The Guardian.

Prof Svensson also pointed out that it may not be the weight loss specifically that leads to the breakdown of a relationship, but could be other factors entirely.

“People who embark on the weight-loss journey usually have a lot of other life changes as well,” he said.

“That means that they are probably becoming more social, trying to live a healthier life."

And that's all well and good if your partner is supportive, but some might find it difficult to adjust to the changes in their partner's life.

As for Jennifer, she says 'things are stable for now' with her husband, adding: "We aren’t fighting and we continue to talk but we aren’t solving anything, either.

"We will adapt in some way – I am just not sure how yet."