Breast Feeding and Breast Implant Surgery

If you’re pregnant for the first time and have had either breast augmentation or some other breast surgery and are concerned about whether or not you can safely breast-feed, you can pretty much rest easy, according to many experts. A number or studies and surveys have shown some procedures can affect breast milk production more than others, but have not interfered with breastfeeding success. Furthermore, breast-feeding doesn’t seem to alter the appearance of a woman’s breasts that has had breast surgery.

Interestingly enough, different surgeries run higher risks of complications that can reduce breast milk production than others; for instance, it appears that breast reduction surgery has an elevated risk versus breast implant surgery, particularly breast enlargement surgery. It’s also worthy of noting that researchers and doctors aren’t exactly sure why breast augmentation—or other surgeries—might impact breast milk production other than incisions made could perhaps cause damage to milk ducts. Also, studies indicate that women whose implant incisions are closer to the crease of where the breast meets the ribs are less likely to have sensitivity loss and/or problems with milk output than surgeries where the cut is made closer to the areola.

The good news in relation to this is that damaged glands usually repair themselves by five years post surgery. And the best news of all is that there is no scientific data to indicate that breastfeeding after having had breast augmentation surgery is unsafe in any way. Of course, your surgeon will most likely tell you that if you can wait until after going through that first 12 to 15 months of breastfeeding to undergo breast enlargement surgery, then so much the better!