Women are far more likely than men to be prescribed GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and tirzepatide — and the gap is growing. Missed diagnoses, gendered marketing, stigma, and patient reluctance all play a role. Experts say clinicians need to normalize obesity conversations with male patients just as they do with women.
Men and women develop obesity at similar rates, but women are significantly more likely to be prescribed GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide. The disparity widened sharply after the FDA's 2021 approval of Wegovy for chronic weight management, with female utilization far outpacing male utilization in the years that followed.
The reasons are layered. Men are less likely to receive a formal obesity diagnosis — a critical first step for treatment access. Decades of weight-loss marketing skewed toward women have shaped perceptions of who these treatments are "for," and many men associate dieting with sacrifice or see weight management as something they should handle through willpower alone. Clinician discomfort discussing weight with patients of any gender also contributes.
Why it matters: Obesity drives costly comorbidities, and leaving men undertreated is both a clinical and a public health problem. Experts urge clinicians to document obesity diagnoses equally across sexes, start weight conversations proactively, and frame treatment around health gains — not weight loss.
