Should I Get Breast Augmentation If I Plan on Having More Kids?
Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States, helping women look and feel their confident best. Women have breast augmentation for different reasons, and deciding to have the surgery — or not — is entirely personal.
However, that doesn’t mean women don’t have questions about the surgery and its potential impact on their lives. Specifically, many women who plan to have children in the future wonder if it’s OK to have their augmentation surgery now or if waiting until after they build their family is a better idea.
At Sanctuary Cosmetic Center, Joseph K Davidson, MD, FACS, and Soheila Rostami, MD, FAAO, FAACS, help women in McLean and Dulles, Virginia, understand their options for breast augmentation so that they can feel confident in their choice. In this post, learn whether augmentation surgery impacts future childbirth or breastfeeding.
Breast augmentation: To wait or not to wait
It’d be great if there were a “yes” or “no” answer to whether it’s better to wait until after having kids to have your breasts enhanced — but it’s actually more complicated than that. From a safety perspective, the timing does not impact your ability to conceive or give birth. But there are still some important factors you need to consider.
Weight and shape fluctuations
Pregnancy changes your body in lots of ways. The weight you gain during pregnancy — both from your body and your developing baby — tugs on your skin, causing stretching.
After pregnancy, you may notice the skin around your breasts sags more, or you may experience a loss of volume that makes your breasts look smaller. Your nipples and areolas may appear larger or appear to have “moved” lower on your breast. These changes can happen in one or both breasts and can affect breasts with implants, too.
Because pregnancy has the potential to affect your breasts in so many ways, you might decide to wait until after having kids to have your surgery. Once childbirth and breastfeeding are behind you, you can choose the implants that work best with your “final” breast size and shape.
Once again, there’s no danger to your baby (or to you) if you decide to have implants before you’re finished having kids. It’s important to understand the potential effects pregnancy can have on your breasts.
Impact on breastfeeding
If you plan on nursing in the future, there’s good news: Data show most women have no problem breastfeeding after breast augmentation surgery. However, some women notice a difference, so it’s also important to understand the potential impacts on nursing.
First, breast augmentation surgery may involve the removal of some gland tissue — the tissue that produces milk. Depending on how much tissue is removed, you may not produce as much milk as you would have before your surgery.
Second, the surgical incision may affect breastfeeding. Specifically, if an incision made in your breast damages the nerves that control the milk ducts or affects nipple stimulation, then you may have difficulty nursing your baby. The best way to assess the potential impact in your specific case is to consult your doctor during your consultation visit.
Optimal timing for your breast augmentation surgery
The best way to know whether to have surgery now or to wait is to schedule a consultation with our doctors, so they can review all the pros and cons and describe the surgery and its recovery process. To schedule your visit, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Sanctuary Cosmetic Center today.