AFTER losing three stone on fat jabs, Emmie Barwise loved nothing more than picking out a stylish outfit to showcase her svelte new figure.
However, there was one accessory she wasn’t expecting to add to her wardrobe.
As well as figure-hugging dresses and thigh skimming skirts, Emmie was forced to start wearing panty liners daily.
Aside from her astonishing weight-loss, incontinence has been an unwelcome side effect of taking Mounjaro.
The 34-year-old explains: “It would happen when I laughed, coughed or sneezed.
“I wet myself during one date, I never imagined that could happen with the jab.
“It was so frustrating, I finally felt confident enough to go on dates but I spent the whole time worrying it would happen.
“It was humiliating – I was a hot girl who couldn’t pull.”
Events manager and single mum Emmie, who lives in Manchester with her 12-year-old daughter, says the unfortunate side-effect made her self-conscious
She admits: “I constantly worried that I smelt of wee.
“It was really off-putting and something I never imagined I would have to deal with.”
Emmie says she began struggling with her weight last year when she started comfort eating during the winter months.
She says: “I loved a good takeaway, a bottle of wine and chocolates.
“It was so cold last year, I found myself indulging way too much.”
By Christmas, the mum realised she’d gained three stone in just two months.
“As well as my main job, I also do catalogue modelling,” she says.
“I knew I needed to lose weight as I noticed I was losing work since gaining weight.”
A mortified Emmie hit the gym but found it hard to shift the pounds.
“I had friends who were using weight loss jabs, I’d heard good things and decided to give them a go,” she says.
In January, Emmie bought Mounjarno on a private prescription, paying £150 a month for the jabs.
“As soon as I started taking the jabs my food noise disappeared for the first time in my life,” she says.
But while Emmie quickly noticed her weight falling off, she soon became aware of her unfortunate side effect too.
She says: “In the first four weeks, I lost seven pounds and felt amazing.
“But around the same time, I had been chatting to a man at a bar when I realised I had wet myself.
“It was just a few drops, but I fled to the loo with my jacket around my waist.”
I even considered adult nappies for an extreme emergency
Emmie Barwise
Emmie’s rapid weight loss in the first four weeks meant a rapid loss of tone around her pelvic floor muscles.
A study by HealthCentral.com revealed Ozempic or semaglutide can be linked to stress urinary incontinence.
This means the pelvic floor muscles can’t hold up under pressure when you cough, sneeze or laugh because the drug’s rapid weight and muscle loss, especially in pelvic muscles, lowers pelvic support and increases leakage risk.
Emmie says: “The first time it happened, I convinced myself I had drunk too much.
“When it happened at work, I bought period panty liner pads to help control my pee problem.
“I even considered adult nappies for an extreme emergency.
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
“I had no idea that this was a possible side effect of the jab, it’s definitely not one that people talk about.”
In a bid to ease her embarrassing symptoms, Emmie immediately began doing her pelvic floor exercises three times a day.
She says: “I use Kegel balls, which come in different weights with strings attached.
“You pop inside your vagina and practice holding them for different periods of time.
“It took four weeks of training, but my symptoms have finally eased up.”
While urinary incontinence might have been a negative side effect, Emmie has found an added bonus aside from her weight loss.
The oddball side effects created havoc in my life, but I got through it and I am back to feeling like my best self
Emmie Barwise
“The jab has increased by sex drive and my orgasms are stronger than ever,” she says.
“I consider that an added bonus.”
According to research, the GLP-1 drugs can also alter autonomic nervous system responses and increase blood circulation, especially to your pubic area, which could explain Emmie’s heightened sensitivity and increased sex drive.
After six months of using Mounjarno, Emmie has now lost 3st 1lb and has no regrets.
She says: “I don’t regret using the drug to fast-track my weight loss.
“It’s not cheating, it’s using what works for you.
“The oddball side effects created havoc in my life, but I got through it and I am back to feeling like my best self.”
