Are you considering a cosmetic breast procedure like breast augmentation, but have hesitations based on a desire to have children one day? Take it from board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Arie Benchetrit: having plastic surgery is not an obstacle to having children or breastfeeding. In this blog, he discusses what women who hope to become mothers should know when considering breast surgery.
Breast Procedures Do Not Affect Your Fertility
Many research teams have investigated whether breast implants or other breast procedures are associated with fertility risks. Fortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that a cosmetic breast procedure lowers your chances of conceiving. If anything, feeling more confident and attractive may make the baby-making process easier. Moreover, researchers have found that breast implants have no effect on the health of a baby, so you do not need to worry about it from that standpoint either.
Breastfeeding Isn’t More Difficult for Most Women
Understandably, you may also be concerned about your ability to nurse babies that you have in the future. It is possible for cosmetic breast procedures to affect your ducts and make breastfeeding trickier, but the chances of this are relatively low. If you plan on having more children later, there are steps you and your surgeon can take to lower these chances further, such as placing breast implants between the chest wall and the breast as well as avoiding periareolar (around the areola) incisions.
Remember That Pregnancy Changes the Appearance of Your Breasts
Your breasts enlarge throughout your pregnancy in preparation for milk production. They typically remain oversized until you have stopped breastfeeding your child. Many women then see their breasts return to their normal size, but many others see their breasts look smaller or larger than before. Breasts often hang lower on the chest because the skin stretched during pregnancy. While breast implants are durable and unaffected physically by these changes, the fluctuation in breast size may change their appearance. Women who have previously had breast lift often discover that their breasts are sagging again.
When Does It Make Sense to Postpone Surgery?
If you would like to augment your chest with breast implants, you do not need to worry about it interfering with your ability to have and breastfeed children later. When it comes to breast lift, you may want to postpone surgery until after completing your family since a subsequent pregnancy can accelerate breast drooping again.
The main time that Dr. Benchetrit advises against a cosmetic breast procedure is when you are actively trying to become pregnant or plan to become pregnant soon. At that point, it arguably makes more sense to wait since your breast appearance is likely to look different after pregnancy, which may alter your cosmetic goals.
Speak to a Top Breast Surgeon
Dr. Benchetrit is an award-winning plastic surgeon who has performed thousands of plastic surgery procedures over his 30+ year career. For outstanding breast surgery results, as well as candid feedback on whether you are a candidate for surgery now or after having children, please schedule a consultation by calling 514-700-5189.
