'Weight-loss jabs helped my polycystic ovaries'

A woman has described how weight‑loss jabs helped her lose nearly eight stone (50kg) after she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Hannah Kate from Bournemouth, Dorset, began taking Mounjaro in May 2024 after years of struggling to lose weight. She buys the drug from a licensed provider and has so far spent about £4,000.

The 32‑year‑old told the BBC she had experienced side‑effects, but that the resulting boost to her confidence had been "life‑changing".

PCOS is a hormonal disorder that causes painful and irregular periods, and affects up to one in 10 women in the UK.

Experts say weight‑loss jabs may help people with PCOS because they improve insulin resistance - a key driver of the condition's symptoms.

But the jabs have not been licensed to use on the NHS for PCOS, with lifestyle changes and other medications currently recommended.

Hannah has dropped from a size 26 to a 16-18 since starting the jabs.

"It made me feel so self-conscious because I could never find anything in clothes shops that fit me," she said.

"The fact that I can now go into pretty much any shop and buy something really is the best feeling."

If she decided not to take the jabs, Hannah would have stayed on the tier three NHS weight management programme. The NHS also prescribed her with Metformin.

The drug is not licensed for treating PCOS in the UK, but because many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, it can be used "off-label" in certain circumstances to encourage fertility and control symptoms.

Despite losing the weight Hannah said she had not experienced much appetite suppression.

"The only times I have had it is when I went up to a stronger dose," she said. "However the insulin resistance was being controlled."

Hannah manages Mounjaro's side‑effects by adjusting her diet, which she said had helped a lot.

"A major one for me was the sickness, constipation goes on for days, you really feel sluggish and I get headaches," she said.

"The best way I can describe the side-effects is, it feels like a hangover."

Hannah eats a high protein diet that consists of Greek yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, chicken and fish for dinner. She chooses not to eat red meat.

"I use intuitive eating as well as tracking calories and I will pick maybe one thing a day that doesn't have the best nutrition but is still low calorie," she said.

The NHS said PCOS was a common condition affecting how a woman's ovaries work.

Women with PCOS produce large amounts of male sex hormones that interfere with the development and release of the eggs, which can impact fertility.

There are many different symptoms, which include hair loss, growing facial hair, feeling low and gaining weight.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which determines the medicines prescribed on the NHS, said patients could not get Mounjaro for PCOS on the NHS because it was not licensed.

However, Mounjaro can be prescribed for those with PCOS and who meet certain other criteria.

NICE recommends Mounjaro as an option for managing overweight and obesity, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults.

That is only if there is a body mass index (BMI) of 35 and at least one weight-related medical condition.