The TRUTH about Ozemd**k – the bizarre weight loss jab side-effect that's ‘adding inches' to manhood size

The Sun

12 hours ago

OZEMPIC-PENIS sounds like a sexually transmitted disease you really wouldn't want to catch.
But it's actually a term that has cropped up online, largely amongst men on Reddit, who are saying they've noticed a change to their penis size as a side-effect of weight loss injections.
One anonymous user wrote: 'I recently measured myself down there and noticed I gained about one inch.'
Another asked: 'Increased size, anyone else notice?'
Weight loss drugs were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes, and Ozempic is still prescribed for just that.
Wegovy and Mounjaro, which are available on the NHS, and Saxenda, meanwhile are licensed for weight management, but only obese Brits (a BMI over 30), or those that are overweight (a BMI of 27) with a related comorbidity like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, are eligible for them.
They work by mimicking naturally occurring hormones, like GLP-1, that make you feel full, slow digestion and regulate appetite, leading to sometimes drastic fat loss.
The health benefits can be huge considering obesity can cause cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more.
But is it too good to be true that the drugs can add inches to your penis as well?
We asked GP and men's health and erectile dysfunction expert Dr Jeff Foster, Medical Director of Manual, to explain all…
Can taking weight loss drugs really make your penis bigger?
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THE short answer is no, but the drugs can certainly make your penis LOOK bigger.
'It's true,' says Dr Foster. 'You naturally have a small fat pad just above the base of the top of your penis.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
'As you develop abdominal fat - and men in particular will develop abdominal fat compared to women, who put it on their bum and thighs more - you can find this small, little fat pad starts to become fuller.
'It appears, therefore, that everything has shrunk.
'It's as if your penis has gone inside, but all that's really happening is the surrounding tissue to your penis has become more protruded - the true penis size hasn't changed.
'And in fact, about 70 per cent of your penis is external, there's another 30 per cent inside that you just never see.'
Pre-Ozempic, some men found this illusion so upsetting that they'd be referred for liposuction to have the fat pad reduced.
'The removal of this fat pad just above the penis does make it look bigger, but the problem is, it's not actually any bigger, it's just the appearance of the outward area,' says Dr Foster.
Losing some of that fat pad as a side-effect of weight loss drugs can have the same effect though - and doesn't involve a surgical procedure.
'It's a win, isn't it?' says Dr Foster. 'You're going to be healthier, and you might end up looking like you've got a bigger penis.
'I mean, no men are ever going to go, 'Ah, I'm really worried my penis is too big'.'
Do fat jabs help improve erections too?
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'DEFINITELY,' says Dr Foster
'Fat increases oestrogen levels in men, and it also reduces testosterone and increases insulin resistance.
'All of those three together will have a really negative impact on your testosterone production.
'And if you haven't got testosterone, or not as much of it, you don't get a libido, you don't get erections.
'So it's really simple: by reducing your body fat, your erections get better, your sex drive goes up and you feel more manly.'
Does that mean weight loss meds could eventually be prescribed for ED?
'IT could be one of your tools as part of an overall arsenal of treating erectile dysfunction (ED), but you wouldn't use it as a primary treatment,' says Dr Foster, who says that crucially you need to find the root cause of the problem.
'The biggest cause of erectile dysfunction in men is still heart disease.
'If you've got narrowing of the arteries you can't get a decent erection.
'Your penile artery is almost identical in calibre and design to your coronary artery.
'That's how they discovered Viagra - it was designed for blood pressure in your heart originally, and they found it worked really well down below.'
He adds: 'This is why we say to men, if you have got erectile dysfunction, find out why.
'The worst thing you can do is just buy some over the counter tablet without finding out why [it's happening].
'We say that on average, if you have an arterial cause for erectile dysfunction, you have about a three-year window before something bad happens to your heart, like a heart attack - so really understand the cause.'
This is when weight loss drugs could make a difference, by supporting overall heart health, and therefore, erection health.
'If we think there's a cardiovascular cause, then using something like Ozempic or Mounjaro could be amazing, because not only do you fix your erection, but you actually fix the underlying process that's causing the whole thing,' says Dr Foster.
'It improves your heart and your penis.'
Are there any potential penile risks?
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'I'VE heard the rumour that allegedly GLP-1 drugs may reduce penis size or have adverse effects on male health in general,' says Dr Foster.
'The theory behind it is whether testosterone or male wellbeing is affected by GLP-1s.'
He explains: 'GLP-1s work by improving satiety, so you eat less.
'By doing that, you reduce body fat, but the other part of that, which we're now seeing evidence of, is that if you're not careful, you also start to reduce muscle mass.
'That's the big worry, because on one hand, yes, you want to get rid of excess fat, but you don't want to reduce your muscle because that's not healthy for anyone.'
Loss of muscle can lead to falls, lack of mobility, increased fractures, and in older age, even premature death.
'[People] think that sarcopenia-effect (muscle loss) is because of lowered testosterone, but it's probably not a direct effect of [GLP-1s],' he explains.
Muscle loss is a problem that should be managed though, whether you're worried about how your penis looks or not.
'If you are going to be taking a weight-loss drug and want to maintain your masculinity, then you have to make sure you eat enough protein and do weight bearing exercise,' says Dr Foster firmly.
'You must do both, and that will help your erections, because we are starting to see the effects of weight loss drugs causing loss of muscle and that's having massively negative impacts on male health.
'To maintain your testosterone, to maintain your erection, make sure you do some decent exercise, and make sure you eat enough protein, even if you don't feel like it, because otherwise you're going to lose more important things [than fat alone], like sexual function and muscle.'