Breast Implants: Concerns About Pregnancy And Breastfeeding

Breast implants are a popular topic among women of all ages, whether they are young women who want to make sure the implants don't interfere with their ability to breastfeed or moms who want to get a breast lift after pregnancy and nursing.

Because your breasts are an integral part of pregnancy and nursing, the concerns of women who get implants is understandable. It is important for women considering a breast augmentation or lift to understand all the issues involved and the impact on past or future pregnancies.

Implants and Future Pregnancy Issues

Young women who opt to get breast implants before having children usually do so because they want to enhance their bust and appear "bigger" and more feminine. Their main concerns are preserving their ability to nurse their babies, and the effect, if any, of implants on milk production and quality. Most surgeons will advise that you wait until six months after your surgery to become pregnant.

Because your entire body, including your breasts, will undergo tremendous changes with the hormonal fluctuations and weight gain of pregnancy, surgeons recommend that you allow your body to heal completely from surgery before going through even more changes. This will also help you recover full sensitivity and function in your nipples.

Whether your ability to breastfeed is affected depends largely on the amount of damage done to your nipple and areola. Certain types of incisions, such as the periareolar or nipple incision, are likely to cause some damage to milk ducts and nerves that stimulate milk production. In this case, your ability to breastfeed may be partially affected.

If this is a concern for you, you can choose an incision such as transaxillary (armpit) or under the crease, or trans-umbilical (TUBA) that will not touch the nipple or affect your ability to breastfeed. The placement of your implant may also affect milk production, so discuss this with your surgeon if necessary. Remember, however that not all women are able to breastfeed naturally, whether they have had augmentation or not. Nor do implants have any effect on the quality of milk produced.

Implants and Past Pregnancy Issues

For moms who have nursed their children and want to get implants, either to go bigger, or lift sagging boobs or both, doctors recommend that they wait at least six months after the process of childbirth or after stopping breastfeeding, whichever comes last. All women who have nursed children undergo permanent changes to their breasts. Often they get stretched out, lose volume and elasticity, and begin to sag and look deflated. For moms with small breasts, simple augmentation may be sufficient to get rid of the sagging.

For others with bulky breasts that have lost volume, augmentation surgery is not enough to deal with excess skin and sagging (ptosis) that follows pregnancy and childbirth. Most moms will require a breast lift in combination with augmentation to remove excess skin and restore volume and perkiness. Breast implants are safe for women both before and after pregnancy and nursing. Consulting a board-certified surgeon will help you make the decision that is best for your body and your situation.