Breast feeding after implants won't cause sagging

THURSDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Women with breast implants shouldn't worry that breast-feeding will cause sagging, according to a new study.

Many women worry that breast-feeding could change the appearance of their breasts, "particularly after they invested in a breast augmentation," said study author Dr. Norma Cruz, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan.

The study of nearly 120 mothers with breast implants found that breast-feeding was not a significant risk factor for breast sagging. "Women are free to breast-feed without the concern of affecting the appearance of their breast augmentation," Cruz said. Since nursing is beneficial for a mother's and child's overall health, it's important to convey this message to new mothers, she said.

Another study in women without breast implants also showed breast-feeding was not a significant risk factor for breast sagging, she added.

The results of the new study were scheduled for presentation Thursday at the meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in San Diego.

Dr. Jeffrey Salomon, an assistant clinical professor of plastic surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, said breast implants do not interfere with a women's ability to breast-feed. The implants are placed under the breast gland, either above or under the pectoralis muscle, he said.

"There is no disruption of the breast gland or the milk ducts to the nipple in either instance," Salomon said.

The most common cause of sagging breasts are breast changes after pregnancy, Salomon said. "These changes are related to the diminished production of the hormones that enlarge the breasts during the pregnancy," he said.

During pregnancy, breast tissue is engorged and expanded. After childbirth, the levels of these hormones are vastly reduced and the breasts deflate, resulting in sagging, Salomon said.

For the study, Cruz compared changes in breast measurements of 57 women with implants who breast-fed for more than six months on average with 62 similar women who didn't breast-feed. Measurements were taken before pregnancy and one year after pregnancy or one year after completing breast-feeding.

Cruz found no significant changes in these measurements or in sagging between women who did or didn't breast-feed.

Although breast measurements and sagging did increase, this was because of changes related to pregnancy, not nursing, she said.

"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," Salomon said.

Findings presented at meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.


Source HERE

I've always said that breast feeding ruined my boobs, but after reading this it may be that plain old pregnancy alone ruined them!

Can't say its makes me feel any better to know if I'd bottle fed the same would have happened anyway  but at least now I know it was 'pregnancy' and not 'breast feeding' for part of my reason for having my BA. X

I always thought this was the case, then got very confused when I came on here & everyone was saying 'I only breast fed for x amount if weeks, but they still sagged'  
Some people are really lucky & they stay big after pregnancy... A girl I work with had nothing before her children & now she's an E! & my mum has had 6 children & hers are still really good... Pity she didn't pass that trait on to me!   X

I thought this was the case too but obviously not... My Mums boobs are amazing too after 2 kids. I obviously didn't inherit this! It comes to something when you envy your mum's boobs! X

See... My mums boobs are great still too and she never breast fed, same with my sister... Obviously I got my dads genes then *sigghhhhh*

I always thought my boobs looked just like his!

   
lOVE that cookie x

COOKIE wrote:See... My mums boobs are great still too and she never breast fed, same with my sister... Obviously I got my dads genes then *sigghhhhh*

I always thought my boobs looked just like his!

   Haha oh dear cookie  
Well at least they do t look like your dads anymore!  X

Noooo thank doG! They look like the buxom 18 year old girls down the road now!

  
Oh cookie, mine look like the 70 year olds over the road at the moment but give it 19 days and I will be joining you in boobs 10 years my junior!! 

Hmm I'm not convinced. This could just be more pro-breast feeding propaganda in my opinion. No one would dare say a bad thing about breast feeding as they are desperate to get everyone to do it!

This hasn't changed my opinion at all.

I just don't see how your breasts constantly filling up with, and then being emptied of milk, several times a day over the period of a year or more can be good for the tissue/shape/general appearance.

xxx

I must admit I do totally agree with 'pregnancy' causing sagging and not 'breastfeeding' - I breastfed 2 children for 4 and 6 months, and do not have any sagging at all - in fact my surgeons at my consultations were surprised that they were (small) but still pert. (And boy did I get engorged when number 2 started sleeping through the night-it was the size of them bad boys that made me 1st want a boob job lol). My sister didn't breastfeed at all, and after 3 pregnancies hers were starting to droop.

Sagging is like stretchmarks, some women get it, some don't. It is important to highlight research like this for the few women that don't breastfeed simply because they don't want the appearance of their breasts to change, when actually the pregnancy alone has already played that role. However, I don't think there are many women who don't breastfeed for this reason alone, and I do feel that a woman's choice in breastfeeding should be respected either way xxx

Very interesting topic. I don't have any kids yet but wondered if I had a baby in few years time, whether it would affect my augmented breasts? Does it vary from one person to another? Will I definitely need a reop or could I be fine? Are there any statistics? xx

Here here Gleaming I totally agree (and totally understand the boob envy for breastfeeding boobs!) 

I agree gleaming I also breast fed both of mine fir 6 months & mine aren't saggy either... They've just shrunk from a 34gg (which they went to when I was pregnant, & stayed that size during breast feeding) down to a 30dd/e so are really deflated :'( 
It definitely depends on each person, my mum & my friend I previously mentioned both breasted, & my friend who didn't breast feed ended up with really saggy boobs. So unfortunately you can't guarantee it not happening either way! X

I meant I agree with the second paragraph, my boobs are down to the floor after breastfeeding but I agree that I think it's something you get or you don't, my stomach doesn't look like I've had kids as I didn't get any stretch marks I just got the awful boobies! X

I didn't breast feed any of my children and my breasts disappeared completely after to AAA nothing, and then after my ba a few years after I had my daughter so was pregnant with my 380cc implants. Again I didn't breast feed (personal choice) and mine changed aesthetically they actaully looked more natural with a big more sag and emptiness. 

So yes I think it's more pregnancy that changes them than breast feeding .