Will My Breast Implants Change During Pregnancy?

Before making an investment in breast implants, a lot of women find themselves wondering if pregnancy or breastfeeding can cause breast implants to change. In fact, pregnancy after breast implants is very common and these women also find themselves with similar questions.

Will my Breast Implants Change During Pregnancy?
Typically breast implants do not change in size during pregnancy. Changes other than size, however, will vary widely among women. These will largely depend on genetics. Sometimes, it can be helpful to speak to your mother or sister (if she has ever been pregnant) for an idea of how your breasts might change during the course of pregnancy.

Of course, breasts will enlarge during pregnancy with or without implants. In fact, this is when certain changes to your breasts in general can come about – particularly in terms of the overall aesthetic appearance of the skin and tissue of the breast. For example, skin may become loose and some women develop stretch marks.

In some cases, some women might experience sagging as a result of the breast gland atrophies becoming smaller after a woman’s breasts are no longer engorged with milk. However, this does not happen to all women. A recent study also showed that breastfeeding is not a risk factor for sagging breasts. It is important to keep in mind that many women experience no changes in their implants at all during pregnancy.

In general, surgeons simply cannot guarantee with 100% certainty that breasts won’t change during pregnancy. The general consensus is that implants will not drastically change in size, but some might experience aesthetic changes, particularly regarding the tissue and skin. If sagging does become a problem, women always have the option to have a breast lift to restore her breasts.

The good news is that some aesthetic changes that might occur during pregnancy can even sometimes be minimized if you take some precautionary measures during the course of your pregnancy.

How To Minimize Changes:

• Avoid excessive and quick weight gain during pregnancy. Most doctors recommend that women gain between 25 and 35 pounds. Excessive weight gain can cause stretching and sagging of the breast tissue.
• Maintaining a healthy diet and light exercise during pregnancy can help fight against this.

For more information, contact Dr. Asif Pirani.