Personal Essay on GLP-1s, Weight Loss, and Chronic Bleeding
The author recounts a two-year experience of persistent menstrual bleeding, initially misdiagnosed as endometriosis, which led to an endocrinologist recommending a 50-pound weight loss. Despite initial resistance due to a history of eating disorders and a published memoir on fat acceptance, the author eventually began taking Zepbound, a GLP-1 medication, funded by her mother at $400/month. After a year, she lost the recommended weight and her bleeding stopped. The essay explores the ethical and personal conflicts of using weight-loss drugs, the financial burden, and the tension between fat liberation ideals and medical necessity. The author reflects on the complexity of accepting a treatment she once dismissed, and the nuanced discourse around GLP-1s.
Key facts
- Author experienced persistent menstrual bleeding for nearly two years starting in fall 2023.
- Initial diagnosis of endometriosis was later retracted.
- Endocrinologist recommended losing 50 pounds.
- Author initially refused to fill Zepbound prescription.
- Author had published a memoir about fat acceptance and an excerpt in July 2024 titled 'How I Made Peace With Hunger and Decided I’d (Probably) Never Go on Ozempic'.
- Author started Zepbound a year ago, funded by her mother at $400/month.
- After one year on Zepbound, author lost 50 pounds and the bleeding stopped.
- Author expresses conflicted feelings about being a 'weight-loss success story' and the implications for body liberation.
Entities
Institutions
- Vogue
- Lilly