Life can be chaotic and unpredictable, no matter how carefully laid out your plans may be. That’s why planning around your breast augmentation and pregnancy isn’t always foolproof. Most plastic surgeons advise that, if you’re thinking about a so-called boob job, pregnancy should be off in the distance somewhere (either your rearview mirror or beyond the horizon of your future).
Breast Augmentation and Pregnancy Concerns
In other words, most plastic surgeons do not recommend getting a breast augmentation procedure if you plan on getting pregnant in the near future. There are a wide variety of reasons for this, some aesthetic and some functional. Either way, it’s always important to discuss your future plans with your surgeon.
When it comes to planning your breast augmentation procedure, there are also some things you can think about on your own to help ensure you get the best results possible. These tips aren’t meant to replace the advice of highly qualified surgeons—rather to help you think about and plan for what you want.
Tip #1: Know Your Future Plans
There are drawbacks to undergoing a breast augmentation procedure and then going through pregnancy. Very, very few of these drawbacks are related to your health, necessarily. Instead, it’s mostly about two distinct arenas: form and function. It might be useful to take a quick look at each of them.
- Aesthetics: The aesthetics (or form) of your breast augmentation are very precisely calibrated to suit your body and present your desired outcome. During pregnancy, every woman’s body goes through a series of changes, and the breasts usually do not escape. Pregnancy can increase the size of the breasts or decrease their fullness. In any case, it’s not unlikely that the breasts will no longer harmonize with the implants, and this can lead to results that are no longer satisfactory.
- Function: Depending on the incision type your surgeon recommends, there is a small chance that mothers would lose the ability to nurse after a breast augmentation procedure. This isn’t common, necessarily, but it does happen, and patients should be aware of the risks before making any decisions. Most patients are counseled to choose the best option available for them, depending on their desired final results and their long term family plans.
For these two reasons, patients are usually counseled to think carefully about their long term plans.
Tip #2: Know Your Options
Things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes a pregnancy can be something of a surprise. In such cases, it’s always a good idea to know what your options are. When it comes to breast implants, you have two very good options: removal of the implants or replacement of the implants.
Both options are performed using a procedure known as a breast augmentation revision surgery. This particular procedure is undertaken for a wide variety of reasons, including due to normal aging or maturing processes (including the changing tastes or preferences of patients).
It’s also not uncommon for a breast implant revision to be performed after a pregnancy. This is because the results of the original procedure can be thrown out of whack—there are all kinds of hormonal changes that can influence the size of the breasts after childbirth.
One common complaint is sag. That is often due to implants that are suddenly too big for the body. Exchanging the implant for a smaller version (and performing a lift at the same time) can often improve the results. That said, it’s very important to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery before scheduling such a procedure.
Tip #3: Keep Your Surgeon in the Loop
You might not be the kind of person that sends your surgeon holiday cards. But when it comes to big changes to your body, it’s a good idea to keep all of your doctors—including your plastic surgeon—in the loop. This means being honest during your consultation: if you’re planning on expanding your family, say so. It won’t necessarily mean that your surgeon won’t want to perform a breast augmentation.
It’s also important to remember that, while we talk about various procedures individually, your body is a cohesive unit. Pregnancy isn’t going to only impact the results of your breast augmentation. There are, in fact, several procedures that could be compromised by a pregnancy (or any significant body change), including the following:
- Tummy tuck (the skin may become stretched out again, diminishing the results of the procedure)
- Liposuction
- Breast lift (results from this procedure may diminish due to the body fluctuations of a pregnancy)
There are others, of course. That’s why you’ll want to tell your plastic surgeon what your plans are. That way, your plastic surgeon will be able to help you get the most out of your procedure.
What If You’re Young?
If you’re in your early twenties, for example, it can be hard to plan out your future family with very much certainty. That is, you might know when or if you’d even like to start a family. So how are you supposed to prepare for it when planning your breast augmentation?
The answer is complicated, but I think it boils down to this: surgeons typically want to make sure you get your money’s worth—that is, most surgeons want to make sure you enjoy your results for years to come.
So much of this forethought it devoted to that: to making sure you get to enjoy your results for a good long time. And that’s really what all this planning and discussion (not to mention the tips) about breast augmentation and pregnancy are really all about. After all, breast augmentation surgery can help patients achieve life-changing results. It’s only natural that everyone would want those result to last, pregnancy or not.
