Having breast implants also can deter women from attempting to breastfeed, according to Strom's study. When asked about the main reason that they didn't attempt to breastfeed their babies, implanted women who chose not to breastfeed said they feared lactation insufficiency and other complications due to the implants.

It is not completely clear why breast implants cause problems with breastfeeding. One possibility is that the surgery may damage the milk-producing ducts. That is especially likely if the implants are inserted through a periareolar incision. Another possibility is that the breast implant may be putting pressure on the breast tissue, which could damage the breast tissue, and thereby diminish milk production.

At this point it is impossible to determine whether the breastfeeding problems that implanted women have are due to the implant or the surgery. Either way, the end result is the same - women who have breast implants, especially if they have an incision around the nipple, are less likely to be able to breastfeed.

In addition to the above problems which were revealed in empirical studies, there have been a number of case reports of women with breast implants having abnormal lactation or other breast problems such as mastitis (infection of the breast, which is usually caused by a bacterial infection), galactorrhea (breast milk production by a woman who is not pregnant and has not just given birth), or galactocele (a milk-filled tumor in a blocked breast milk duct) formation. It is impossible to determine how often those complications occur after breast implants, because there has never been a research study.

There is consensus in the medical and public health community that breast milk provides essential nutrition for babies, in addition to improving their immune responses to infections. Breastfed babies have been shown to be less likely to have gastrointestinal disease, respiratory ailments and asthma, ear infections, and allergies. Some researchers believe that breastfeeding provides protection against obesity, arteriosclerosis, celiac disease, and other metabolic disorders.

Other studies have shown that breastfeeding is beneficial to the mother as well, helping to create a psychological bond between mother and infant, aiding postpartum recovery, and helping mothers to more quickly return to their pre-pregnancy weight.

It is therefore of considerable concern that breast implants - or the surgery to get them - may make it more difficult for women to breastfeed successfully.

References:
National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, Safety of Silicone Breast Implants, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1999, p. 197.

Neifert, M., DeMarzo, S., Seacat, J., Young, D., Leff, M., Orleans, M., The Influence of Breast Surgery, Breast Appearance, and Pregnancy-Induced Breast Changes on Lactation Sufficiency as Measured by Infant Weight Gain, Birth, 1990; 17: 31-38.

Of the 22 women who had breast surgery, only five had breast augmentation with breast implants.

Hurst, N.M., Lactation After Augmentation Mammoplasty, Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1996; 87: 30-34.

Strom, S.S., Baldwin, B.J., Sigurdson, A.J., Schusterman, M.A., Cosmetic Saline Breast Implants: A Survey of Satisfaction, Breast-Feeding Experience, Cancer Screening, and Health, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1997; 100: 1553-1557.

Deloach, E.D., Lord, S.A., Ruf, L.E., Unilateral Galactocele Following Augmentation Mammoplasty, Annals of Plastic Surgery, 1994; 33: 68-71.

Hartley, J.H., Schatten, W.E., Postoperative Complications of Lactation after Augmentation Mammaplasty, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1971; 47: 150-153.

Johnson, P.E., Hanson, K.D., Acute Puerperal Mastitis in the Augmented Breast, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1996; 98: 723-725.

Luhan, J.E., Giant Galactoceles, One Month after Bilateral Augmentation Mammoplasty, Abdominoplasty, and Tubal Ligation: Case Study, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 1979; 3: 161-164.

Mason, T.C., Hyperprolactinemia and Galactorrhea Associated with Mammary Prostheses and Unresponsive to Bromocriptine: A Case Report, Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 1991; 36: 541-2.

Menendez-Graino, F., Pena Fernandez, C., Burrieza, P.I., Galactorrhea after Reduction Mammaplasty, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1990; 85: 645-646.

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