Women turn to weight loss drugs in menopause: What to know about the benefits and risks

When Yokasta Mooney entered menopause, she said she reached the highest weight of her life.

"At this point, I don't fit into any my clothes," Mooney, now 54, told "Good Morning America," adding that she felt like her body was "turning against" her. "I was desperate at this point."

As Mooney tried to navigate her body changes during menopause, when a woman's periods stop permanently, she said she turned to Ozempic, a medication used for weight loss that she credits with helping her lose 30 pounds.

"I was keeping a food journal. I was exercising," said Mooney, who added that she continued to lose an additional 30 pounds after going off Ozempic. "I realized throughout the process, we think that we eat a lot less than what we really eat."

Mooney is not alone in turning to a medication to help with weight loss during menopause, a time when shifts in hormones can make weight control a challenge.

With the growth in popularity of medications like Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound, more and more doctors are prescribing the medications to women in menopause.

"So many of my patients feel guilty about this weight gain," Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB-GYN, told "GMA." "So it's my job to help them understand it is not their fault."

Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe the medication "off-label" for weight loss, as is permissible by the FDA.

There are also now two drugs on the market that are FDA-approved for weight loss -- Wegovy, a medication that contains semaglutide, the same main ingredient as Ozempic, and Zepbound, a medication that contains tirzepatide, the same main ingredient as Mounjaro.

The drugs, typically taken once weekly as injections, work by helping the pancreas increase the production of insulin to move sugar from the blood into body tissues.

They also slow down the movement of food through the stomach and curb appetite, thereby causing weight loss.

Past clinical studies have shown users of the medications can lose between 5% and 20% of their body weight on the medications over time.

The most commonly reported side effects of medications used for weight loss are nausea and constipation, but gallbladder and pancreatic disease are also reported. Makers of these drugs recommend having a conversation about the side effect profile and personalized risks with a health care professional before starting.

Lisa Cockrell, 56, said she lost 20 pounds by taking Mounjaro when she started menopause. The weight loss, she said, helped her feel better about managing menopause.

"I feel that this stage of life, and this journey, is totally, totally doable, that we can go through menopause, and we can go through this journey, and actually have a full life and live in wellness," Cockrell told "GMA."

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Losing weight in menopause can help with the severity of other menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, according to Shepherd.

The average age for menopause, when your periods stop permanently, is 52, according to the U.S. Office on Women's Health. Menopause is reached after it has been a full year since your last period.

Shepherd noted that women who take medications for weight loss during menopause should pay special attention to their diet and exercise in order to not exacerbate the loss of muscle mass and bone density already common among menopausal women.

"As we start to age, our bones are going to be weaker and we're going to lose muscle mass, which is going to increase your risk for things such as osteoporosis and even falls," said Shepherd, the author of "Generation M: Living Well in Perimenopause and Menopause." "With diet, you significantly want to increase your protein intake, and [with] exercise, changing those regimens to more of resistance training and weightlifting."