Will Pregnancy Affect My Breast Implants?

Congratulations! When it comes to first-time pregnancy, there are plenty of lifestyle adjustments to make, physical changes to get acquainted with and extremely exciting milestones ahead for both you and your future baby! Thankfully, all things considered, you can comfortably scratch “having breast implants” from any list of concerns or at least two reasons:

Getting pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding with breast implants are all entirely possible and all considered totally safe for both the baby and the mother.
Secondly, if any changes were to occur that affected the cosmetic appearance of the breasts or the implants, they are quickly correctable after breastfeeding, at the earliest possible opportunity. These changes might include changes to the position of the implants in relation to the now-developed breasts, or to the firmness of your breasts. In most cases, the implants

Safety of breast implants during pregnancy

Breast augmentation patients planning to bear children often wonder if pregnancy will affect or even damage their implants. While pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding do cause the body to undergo tremendous natural shifts, every woman will experience these changes differently, and the changes often differ even from pregnancy to pregnancy for the same mother. Swelling of the breasts during pregnancy is natural, as is the volume loss that occurs after breastfeeding. For some, these fluctuations are dramatic while for others they are subtle.

In either case, the breast implants are not damaged and their structure and integrity hold throughout this exciting and life-changing time. The breasts play a central role in the transformative biological process of giving birth and as they pass through the many phases involved, the implants themselves are not affected or compromised.

Model weating lingerie in black and white photo

Appearance of breast implants during pregnancy

As every pregnancy is different from person to person and from pregnancy to pregnancy, it is difficult to foretell if and exactly how pregnancy might affect the appearance of breast implants. As the mammary glands swell and then shrink again, some sagging of breast tissue is possible with or without implants. Rippling or dimpling of the skin if also possible, although most women make it through pregnancy without obvious impacts on how their implants look.

Should I get breast implants if I am planning to get pregnant?

Breast implants are an option both well before and well after having children and a woman of legal age can get breast implants any time she wants. If you are considering becoming pregnant or having children within the next 12 months, breast implants should be postponed until after your pregnancy and breast feeding cycle. Similarly, breast implant removal, as well as other elective surgeries, should be postponed during pregnancy.

Getting breast implants before becoming pregnant doesn’t affect pregnancy or breastfeeding, though the possibility remains that pregnancy may affect the look and results of a breast augmentation, as your body goes through a wide array of hormonal and weight-related fluctuations, rapidly gaining and losing weight as the breasts prepare for their new motherly duty, the potential for unexpected changes. For instance, a mother with implants may find that after the lead up to and wind down from the breastfeeding cycle, her implants ended up settling out as less firm than they were pre-pregnancy. A breast revision would address this nicely.

Will my breasts and breast implants return to normal after pregnancy?

The answer to this question varies from person to person, though typically they do return to normalcy. Throughout pregnancy, the size and shape of the breasts fluctuate gradually. Depending on how extensive these changes are, some excess skin, drooping or dimpling can occur, and a mastopexy (lift) or larger implants may become desired or necessary to restore breast shape, size and fullness. It is difficult or impossible to predict exactly how these changes will affect a breast implant patient, though the changes, if any, can always be corrected at the earliest possible opportunity.

At our practice as well as around the world, patients with breast implants and who get pregnant experience little to no problems or side effects. Every story is unique and exciting and includes multiple solutions should you experience anything unsatisfactory.