Pregnancy and Breast Implants

Many of the common questions posed by women who are considering breast augmentation relate to pregnancy. Women who may want to get pregnant in the future often want to know if they will be able to breastfeed and what will happen to their breasts after pregnancy and breastfeeding. These are excellent questions, and necessary points of discussion for women who have already had children, or those planning to do so in the future. First and foremost, many women become pregnant and breastfeed after having breast implants. There is no reason related to breast augmentation that indicates that women who have had breast implants should not get pregnant or breastfeed their babies. Having breast implants does not normally interfere with breastfeeding. If the implants are placed properly and there is no impingement on the milk flow, then breastfeeding should be possible, barring any other conditions unrelated to the implants. Many women also express concern over the safety of breastfeeding if they have silicone implants. Many studies have been conducted to determine the safety of breastfeeding with silicone implants. A 1998 study at the University of Toronto found that traces of silicon in breast milk were similar among women with implants and women without. It also found that traces of silicon in cow’s milk and infant formula were significantly higher than in breast milk of women either with or without implants.[1] This study and many others indicate that there is no reason to believe that having breast implants makes it unsafe to breastfeed your baby. Another concern facing women who may choose to have children in the future is how a future pregnancy and breastfeeding will affect the look and shape of their enhanced breasts. Breasts with implants will go through the same changes that regular breasts would during pregnancy. They will grow and swell during the pregnancy just like the breasts of any other woman. However, as with all women, it is difficult to say how they will behave after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some women notice that their breasts change significantly after pregnancy and breastfeeding while others see their breasts return to their previous size and shape. Some women will continue to have large breasts after pregnancy while others will see their breasts shrink. Some women may experience breast sagging and loss of volume after breastfeeding. Therefore, you can expect that your breasts with implants will behave as they would normally react to pregnancy and breastfeeding. Generally speaking, women who have breast implants prior to pregnancy will notice that regardless of the changes to their breasts following childbirth, their breasts will look better than they would without the implants. If you have additional questions about how pregnancy and breastfeeding will affect your breast implants, a consultation with myself will provide you with comprehensive information that will help you decide when the right time is to schedule your breast augmentation procedure. [1] JL Semple, SJ Lugowski, CJ Baines, DC Smith, A. McHugh, “Breast Milk Contamination and Silicone Implants: Preliminary Results Using Silicon as a Proxy Measurement for Silicone.” Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, August 1998; 102 (2):528-33.