Is Wegovy Right for Me? How to Work Out If You're a Candidate

Does your BMI put you in range for Wegovy?

The UK licence for Wegovy covers adults with a BMI at or above 30, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Adults with a BMI between 27 and 29.9 can also qualify if they have at least one weight-related condition, things like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnoea. So the first question is a number, but it is rarely the only question.

For people from South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, UK guidance recognises that health risks associated with excess weight occur at lower BMI values, and thresholds are adjusted down by 2.5 kg/m² accordingly. The NHS BMI calculator is a quick starting point if you are unsure where you sit.

BMI alone does not decide anything. A prescriber looks at the whole picture: your current health conditions, your medication list, your history, and whether weight management treatment is clinically appropriate for you at this point. Meeting the number is necessary, not sufficient. If you want to work through whether Wegovy is right for you before going further, that is a good place to start alongside reading about the consultation process on the Wegovy treatment page.

What health history might affect whether Wegovy suits you?

A few things mean Wegovy is not recommended, and a prescriber will always ask about them. A personal or close family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (a specific type of thyroid cancer) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) rules it out. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and actively trying to conceive are also contraindications, Wegovy is not recommended in any of these situations, and effective contraception is advised for the duration of treatment and a wash-out period before trying to conceive.

A history of pancreatitis, or certain gastrointestinal conditions, is something a prescriber will want to know about too. In January 2026, the MHRA issued a Drug Safety Update reaffirming that acute pancreatitis is a known, if infrequent, risk with GLP-1 medicines; the Yellow Card scheme is where suspected side effects can be reported. None of this is reason to assume Wegovy is off the table, it means these are questions the prescriber genuinely needs to work through with you before a decision is made.

Women taking oral contraceptives switching to tirzepatide face a specific interaction risk not seen to the same degree with semaglutide, which is one reason some people actively choose Wegovy. Your prescriber can talk through how your current medicines fit.

What does the evidence say about how well Wegovy actually works?

The STEP 1 trial (68 weeks, adults with obesity or overweight with a weight-related condition, no diabetes) found an average body-weight reduction of around 15% on the 2.4mg maintenance dose, one of several strengths available across the dosing schedule, against roughly 2.4% on placebo. Those are trial averages; individual results vary, and real-world figures sit across a range on either side. The full STEP 1 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine sets out the methodology clearly if you want the detail.

A newer 7.2mg maintenance dose was approved by the MHRA in January 2026, with a dedicated single-dose pen approved in April 2026. Trial data at 7.2mg reported around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide. The question of which starting point suits you is exactly the kind of thing a prescriber weighs up. If you are wondering whether Wegovy works right away or takes time to build, most people notice appetite changes within the first few weeks, though the full picture unfolds over months.

NICE recommends semaglutide under technology appraisal TA875, but with specific conditions: within a specialist weight management service and for no longer than two years. Private prescribing through a regulated pharmacy follows the licensed criteria rather than the NICE commissioning constraints, which is why many people access it privately while NHS waiting lists remain long.

What does the process look like if you decide to go ahead?

Wegovy is a prescription-only medicine, so the route in every case starts with a clinical consultation. At nume, that consultation is free. A GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads your answers the same day, a real clinician, not a screening algorithm. If treatment is clinically suitable, the prescription is issued and the medicine dispatched. Order before 12pm on a working day and it goes the same day; a plain, unbranded box arrives by DPD the next working day, with a tracking link so you know exactly when to expect it.

There are no subscriptions. Every repeat order is reviewed again before anything is sent. You can read about what the process of accessing Wegovy privately involves, or explore how Wegovy compares with other options on the weight-loss treatments overview. If you have questions before you start, our FAQs cover the ones our prescribers hear most often, and if you are curious about whether you feel Wegovy right away once you begin, that is one of the questions we hear most. When you are ready, the practical step is straightforward.