After a near-death experience during her first childbirth, Serena Williams’s body had been pushed to its limit. But, surviving childbirth still wasn’t enough for her body to truly be hers again. Then, she gave birth to her second child. “I trained at the highest level, ate a clean diet, pushed myself, and still, after having kids, my body just wouldn’t respond,” says Williams. Losing her postpartum weight remained at a standstill.
Most women gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, but Black women are more likely to retain a significant amount of the weight postpartum than other races. Williams struggled to lose weight following the birth of Adira, her now two year old, holding onto pounds even hours of working out couldn’t move. And, while it is completely normal and healthy for your body to change after birth, “I realized it wasn’t about willpower; it was biological,” she says. So, she started taking one of Ro’s GLP-1s.
As a drug siphoned from type 2 diabetes medications, GLP-1s act like a hormone your body uses to regulate blood sugar and appetite. Studies show taking the drug can help you lose 10 to 15 percent of body weight in one year, with some even exceeding 20 percent. Because of this, GLP-1 brand names, like Ozempic and Wegovy, have spiked in popularity over the past few years, touted as the “cure” for menopausal weight gain, abdominal fat, and postpartum weight loss, all with just one weekly shot.
Now, two years after her last birth, Williams is partnering with Ro (a platform her husband, Alexis Ohanian, invests in and is on the board of) for access to GLP-1s, which has helped her feel better about her body. “My body actually feels better than it ever has—I feel lighter and my joints aren’t in pain and I have a lot of energy,” she tells ESSENCE. “I feel so good that I am training for a half marathon, which has been really fun for me.”
Unlike other weight loss brands on the market, Ro is a telehealth platform offering one-on-one personal coaching and a full year of curriculum and support while on a GLP-1. They support you—from diagnosis to prescriptions and ongoing care—during your weight loss journey on one of the major brand-name drugs they offer: Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, and for Williams, Zepbound.
“By opening up about her own health, Serena is opening doors for millions of people who have felt shamed for needing support to lose weight,” says Zach Reitano, co-founder and CEO of Ro. While it is important to note a lower weight does not necessarily mean you’re healthier, “she’s redefining what it means to be strong, once again, by setting the example that strength can also mean seeking and using medication to take control of your health.”
And, men are covered, too. Last April, NBA veteran Charles Barkley was Ro’s first GLP-1 celebrity patient ambassador. “I know GLP-1s work—I’ve seen it for myself,” he says on their website with a weight loss goal of 65 pounds. For Williams, her body has long been under public scrutiny and discourse, with comments under her recent social media post questioning exactly how she lost weight. So, she sums it up. “I know others are struggling too,” she says. “This isn’t a shortcut. It’s healthcare.”