Just when you thought the discussion around Ozempic had settled, Dr. Terry Dubrow, a well-known celebrity surgeon, has brought attention to a phenomenon being referred to as ‘Ozempic penis’.
The term ‘Ozempic penis’ has been making rounds online, and Dr. Dubrow mentioned it during an episode of the Between Us podcast with his wife Heather. He emphasized that it’s indeed ‘a thing’.
Heather, recognizable from the Real Housewives of Orange County, attempted to guess its meaning, suggesting: “I’m gonna say it is trouble getting hard.”
Dr. Dubrow, 67, promptly clarified that this was not the case.
According to him, individuals taking semaglutide might notice their package appearing ‘bigger’, which he attributes to ‘buried penis syndrome’.
As Page Six reports, Dr. Dubrow explained, “What happens when you gain a lot of weight to the exposure of the penis? It’s kind of a buried penis syndrome.” He noted that very obese men might not see their penis due to a substantial pubic area.
The weight loss then results in ‘more show’, with Terry adding: “Ozempic penis is a thing, and it’s good.”
He humorously added: “You’re not more of a grower, but you’re definitely more of a shower with Ozempic penis. So congratulations.”
Heather, however, pointed out the perceived unfairness, expressing disappointment that men might receive ‘a bonus’ while women do not. This ties back to their previous discussion on ‘Ozempic vulva’, where Terry mentioned that reduced fat could lead to lower estrogen, causing ‘less lubrication and more irritation’.
Despite her reservations, Heather admitted she was curious enough to want to ‘have a look’ at her husband, who is currently using Mounjaro.
Dr. Dubrow has openly discussed his experience with semaglutide, saying he stopped using Ozempic in early 2024 as it ‘took the joy of eating away’, though he later told E! News he would resume after a vacation, dubbing it the ‘new Botox’.
In summary, the phenomenon doesn’t actually increase physical size.
While Ozempic doesn’t enlarge anyone’s anatomy, weight loss might create the illusion of increased size, a topic that resurfaced with new research indicating the average British penis size has grown from 5.17 inches to 5.63 inches between 2022 and 2024.
This 0.46-inch increase led people to speculate about a connection to Ozempic, but as Dr. Dubrow and other medical professionals have remarked, the loss of fat in the groin area only gives the appearance of added length; the actual size remains unchanged, so weight loss injections aren’t the solution for increasing size.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, emphasized in a previous statement: “Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk, and we recommend patients take these medications for their approved indications and under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
“We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. As part of this work, we continue to monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance.
“We recommend that any patient experiencing side effects while taking GLP-1 RA medicines, including Wegovy®▼and Ozempic® (semaglutide injection), report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/.”