Many women come to New York to have breast implant surgery. This is a popular treatment after pregnancy as it helps restore shape and volume. However, many women feel that breast-feeding after implants will cause sagging. A new study allays these fears. Researchers from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan report that breast sag occurs due to the changes that pregnancy brings about and not due to breast-feeding after augmentation.
The study involved nearly 120 mothers with breast implants. The changes in the breast measurements of 57 women who breast-fed for more than six months on average and 62 women who did not breast-feed were compared. The measurements were taken before pregnancy, one year after pregnancy, or one year after completing breastfeeding. The study found that:
- There were no significant changes in the breast measurements taken at different times.
- There was no noticeable difference in sagging between women who did or did not breast-feed.
- Breast measurements and sagging did increase, but this was due to diminished production of the hormones that enlarge the breasts during the pregnancy.
- Breast-feeding after implants was not responsible for sagging.
Breast tissue gets enlarged and expands during pregnancy. The study points out postpartum sagging is the result of reduced levels of the hormones that make the breasts enlarge during pregnancy.
Nursing benefits both the mother and the child. With the important message that this study conveys, women can feel free to breast-feed without worrying that it will cause sagging and affect the appearance of their breast augmentation.
The researchers concluded, “This study should be comforting to women with implants who decide to breast-feed, and they should rest assured that their risk of postpartum sagging breasts is not significantly different than the degree of breast sagging in breast-augmented women who do not elect to breast-feed.”