Maddy*, 38, used to feel conflicted about taking Mounjaro. The drug, licensed for weight loss in 2021, has become a cultural lightning rod. “I know people who are using it to lose too much weight and I think for people who have disordered eating, which I don’t have, this is a really troubling era,” she says. “There’s a lot of stigma around GLP-1s.”
But Maddy is not taking Mounjaro to lose weight. She has both PMOS (formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome, a common condition causing irregular periods, infertility and weight gain) and endometriosis – a long-term condition where cells similar to the womb lining grow in other parts of the body, causing severe pain and scarring. Her symptoms have escalated dramatically in recent years. “By 2024 I was so inflamed and swollen, I went up two dress sizes, I was in absolute agony for two weeks of the month and I started bleeding from my bum around my period,” she says. The pain felt like “ my womb was falling out and was sticking nails into my body as it did so for 10 days every month”.
She also developed back and hip pain, and terrible fatigue. Her GP agrees that she probably does have endometriosis, but the only options presented to her were surgery to confirm the diagnosis (which she didn’t want) or taking oral contraception , which she had historically react badly to.
Shorts
After seeing a loved one be freed from binge eating disorder with weight-loss jabs, she began reading up about GLP-1 drugs and the wide range of health problems they are now proving to help with. She learned that early research is showing the drugs can have transformative effects on endometriosis and PMOS, helping patients manage symptoms like pain and inflammation. Given that the treatment options historically have been limited, this felt potentially groundbreaking.
She decided to try it for herself and sought a prescription from a private doctor. She was armed with a letter from her GP about her possible endometriosis and her BMI which had, in recent years, moved into the obese category. “He said he was happy to prescribe Mounjaro for me off-label at a super low dose ‘to see what happens.'”
The effect, she said, was immediate – and dramatic.
“Within weeks the weight started dropping off and my jeans started doing up,” she says. “I felt like myself again – it was quite emotional. I had looked bloated, swollen and really inflamed, something that my friends noticed as well. Plus, I had more energy. I wanted to exercise and actually enjoyed it.”
What really surprised her, though, was the impact on her pain. “My period pain completely went away within a few months, to the extent that I got surprised by my period. Previously, I would have known it was coming for 10 days before, but now, I had to check my app to know when I was due. It was amazing.”
GLP-1s (sold under brand names like Wegovy and Mounjaro) are now a ubiquitous part of the 21st-century landscape. First licensed for treating type 2 diabetes in 2008, an estimated 1.6 million UK adults are using the drugs for weight loss, according to UCL research .
This influx of users has led to new patterns emerging; not only are users losing weight, but the medications appear to be reducing the risk of a whole range of conditions, including heart attacks and strokes. It comes down to their anti-inflammatory effect. “The observational data and real-world evidence seem to show that GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to reduce systemic inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity”, explains Dr Shahzadi Harper, GP at The Harper Clinic.
While historically seen as a gynaecological disorder, endometriosis – thought to affect one in 10 women in the UK – is now understood as a whole-body inflammatory disorder, Harper adds. “These conditions are not solely driven by hormones; inflammation and metabolic health play a significant role as well.”
Early studies are bringing hope to the millions who suffer with the disease. A Canadian trial with 160 women with endometriosis taking GLP-1s found a significant improvement in symptoms, with a third reporting that at least one of their symptoms was completely resolved.
Sarah, 48, is one of the many women prescribed GLP-1s ‘off-label’ for endometriosis
Research into how the drugs can help with conditions like endometriosis and PMOS is still in the early stages, meaning the drugs cannot be prescribed for these conditions yet. It is not yet clear whether the effects are because of weight loss or independent of it, for example. In the meantime, private doctors are willing to prescribe the drugs “off-label”.
The results, for some, have been life-changing. “Taking GLP-1s has freed me,” Maddy adds. “I’ve reclaimed half the month that I was losing to the pain, bloating and discomfort.”
Vanessa, 33, had a laparoscopy in 2024 to remove all her endometriosis, which had been causing her chronic pain and severe constipation. The surgery was successful – reducing her pain dramatically and improving bowel function – bu…
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