Ozempic is not likely to directly enlarge the male appendage.
A critical look at the popular "ozempic penis" claims and look at the sources, along with possible reasons and related research.
A critical look at the popular "ozempic penis" claims and look at the sources, along with possible reasons and related research.
Some recent news has been making it's way across the internet of Ozempic (Semaglutide) increasing the size of the male sexual organ. GLP1 Receptor agonists have a lot of positive effects, but up until now penis enlargement was not was one them.
The term "Ozempic Penis" is already being coined and thrown around, so we figured it was worth a look into what's actually going on here and whether there's any research to substantiate the claims.
tl;dr - GLP1s do not likely enlarge the penis directly, but knock on effects are likely to play a part in improving erections.
So who is reporting on this trend? From what we can see, it's quite widespread:
Andrew Court
Daniel Dashnaw
Daniel Dashnaw's article is an excellent wrap up of the situation with accurate results on the likely actual causes of – we come to the same conclusion in this article.
In the past the worries have been more around negative effects of Ozempic on the male sexual organ – in particular whether it caused Erectile Dysfunction ("ED") or not:
Julie Stewart
Of course, after reading any particular studies and learning about GLP1s, this claim is obviously unlikely to be true – GLP1s do the opposite of increase something like ED, as losing weight and treating with type 2 diabetes leads to improved blood flow and other factors that would reduce ED.
More concretely, one of the best parts about GLP1s is how heavily they are studied, and the studies up until now have noted no such adverse effects. Erectile dysfunction is certainly a noticable adverse effect and it hasn't been reported in any major study of GLP1 to date.
The lack of a reporting of an adverse effect does not mean it doesn't exist, but as of recently the reports are not widespread. This can likely be safely ignored until more evidence surfaces.
In 2023 there was a report on Twitter of increased penis size due to weight loss:
“Not to be graphic but Ozempic penis is real. Lost 35 pounds and apparently I was hiding a good inch under my FUPA.”
@ShrinkingDan (2023)
The more recent group of stories comes from one Reddit thread, as far as we can tell:
This thread is not highly upvoted or commented on, yet it is likely being widely reported on because it makes for a good headline.
Other Reddit users are quick to point out that this is almost certainly an illusion:
No-Western924 - It’s the weight loss around the pubic area. It just looks bigger (which doesn’t suck) and probably works better
While this is a good first explanation, some other reddit users suggested a more likely solution:
dutchy81
I feel like nobody is really reading what you are writing, that they blame the weightloss while you measured the first time when you were actually lighter. So that can't be it.
coffeebeardtv (Original Poster, in response)
Ozempic does not enlarge your penis, but an erect penis may change size considerably depending on time of day, temperature, and factors other than sexual arousal. So it's probably just simply that.
So a new probable reason surfaces – improved blood flow due to weight loss may have improved the erection size.
This second explanation is more consistent with what we know GLP1s to be capable of and their likely effects in people who take them.
Clearly it's an incorrect diagnosis that makes for a good headline.
However, the positive effects on weight loss and blood flow that may have lead to this person's observation are real. The improvement is not direct, but various positive side effects of GLP1s are easy to link to the outcome people experienced.
People are healthier and feel much better after significant weight loss, are more confident, and generally experience benefits that are not directly caused by the drug. this is another case.
VeryWell Health contacted a urologist and got the following quote:
“Weight loss will often result in improved cardiometabolic health and resultant improved erections due to better blood flow. This can be perceived as improved penile girth,” Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad, MD, a urologist specializing in male infertility and sexual dysfunction at NYU Langone Health
In addition to blood flow improvements, improved testosterone and reduced inflammation are also likely to help in improving erections.
The conclusion of fat loss around the pubic area is also likely to be correct for some people:
As men get older, especially if they gain weight, some fat may accumulate below the pubic bone, according to Juan J. Andino, MD, a board-certified urologist at The Men’s Clinic at UCLA Health.
So if we sum this all up, the likely reasons are:
Similar to other trending side effects like "Ozempic face", this is more about the positive benefits of rapid weight loss than it is about Ozempic in particular.
It's already obvious to most readers, but demand for Ozempic and other GLP1 Receptor Agonists is lightly to rise.
Ozempic (Semaglutide) isn't even the most effective GLP1 on the market, Mounjaro/Zepbound (Tirzepatide) is:
GLP1.Guide Staff
Now that both of these drugs are out of shortage, physical supply isn't as much of a problem as price is.
Unfortunately, the average person (in the US, primarily) has hardship getting access to these life-improving and possibly life-saving drugs.
Fortunately, the gears of capitalism are turning and many companies are working on GLP1 drugs in order to cash in on the obvious demand, and thanks to regulation around IP, some have already lapsed and are available as generics:
GLP1.Guide Staff
GLP1.Guide Staff
While Liraglutide is even less effective than Semaglutide, having one more recent option is vastly greater than none.
There is also the promise of drugs that are meant to be taken with other GLP1s that may "boost" the effects increasing the efficacy of Liraglutide.
We take a look at some exciting upcoming presentations by Eli Lilly about it's old and new GLP1 receptor agonists.
Finally, a research clinical trial that directly explores the difference between Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for Obesity.
We take a look at Roche (via Carmot)'s GLP1 pipeline development, and figure out how CT-388, CT-996, and CT-868 are trending.
New study suggests link between GLP1 Receptor Agonists (Ozempic, Mounjaro, etc) and kidney cancer.