Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Gracie says she switched from Ozempic to Mounjaro to treat her PCOS
- Gracie McGraw, daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, revealed on Instagram that she takes Mounjaro.
- McGraw says she takes the medication to help treat her polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS.
When you have famous parents, everyone wants to know the details of your life.
At least that seems to be the case with Gracie McGraw, the 26-year-old daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who took to Instagram late last month to explain why she uses Mounjaro, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes that is also awaiting FDA approval to be prescribed for weight loss, after commenters on Instagram made snide remarks.
On a May 26 post of McGraw in a bikini, one commenter implied she had taken Ozempic, another type 2 diabetes drug that is also used off-label for weight loss, to which McGraw replied: "I did use ozempic last year, yes. I am now on a low dose of mounjaro for my PCOS as well as working out. No need to accuse when I have been open about it."
McGraw has indeed been open on social media about both her PCOS, as well as her use of Ozempic and Mounjaro to treat it. She first shared her diagnosis of PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, in a March 1, 2022 Instagram post. "To get the correct diagnosis you would need 2 out of the 5 characteristics of PCOS and I had 4," she said.
On the same post, she revealed that she had been prescribed Ozempic, along with weight-loss medication Qysmia which is also prescribed to treat weight gain from PCOS, by her doctor. "It's weird to see how your body can change so rapidly but I'm finding new ways to love her and new things to love about her everyday," McGraw wrote on the post.
What is PCOS?
PCOS is a hormone disorder that affects between 5 and 6 million women in the US, according to the Endocrine Society. The exact cause of the disorder is unknown, but one of the results is that the ovaries may produce higher-than-normal levels of androgens, commonly known as the "male sex hormones."
Many women with the disorder have cysts on their ovaries, while others do not, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Some women with the disorder have insulin resistance, meaning the body can't regulate insulin well. People with PCOS are not always diabetic, but many are at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of PCOS can be subtle, and may include: Irregular periods or heavy bleeding during periods, acne, excess hair on the face and body, thinning of hair on the scalp, cysts on the ovaries, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, and infertility.
How can Ozempic and Mounjaro help PCOS?
Weight-loss is usually an important part of treating PCOS, because losing weight can help improve PCOS symptoms.
McGraw is part of a growing number of PCOS patients that are turning to medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro to aid with this weight loss. Popular PCOS advocate Shelby Echard has also shared her own use of Ozempic for PCOS on Instagram with her 66,000 followers, revealing that after two years on Ozempic her A1c test, which can be used to diagnose or predict diabetes, is normal.
Though these drugs are not currently approved to treat PCOS, doctors are able to prescribe them to patients "off-label" if they think a patient would benefit.
There may be other benefits for PCOS patients taking these drugs as well.
Professor Adam Balen, a consultant gynecologist and spokesperson for the Royal College of College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK, previously told Insider reporter Rachel Hosie that in addition to weight loss, semaglutide, the generic name for Ozempic and Wegovy, may help manage PCOS symptoms by improving sensitivity to insulin.