What Will Happen to My Breast Size If I Get Pregnant After A Breast Reduction?

Q: I had a breast reduction in October 2010, and I am thinking about getting pregnant again. I was a DDD before, and now am a B. Surgery went well, but if I gain roughly 20 lbs during pregnancy, how big do you think that the breasts will get? I had a free nipple graft, so no breast feeding. I just don’t want to go back to the “bigger” me. I love being smaller. Thanks so much!

A: The changes that will occur after pregancy from a breast reduction are fairly predictable for many patients. The breasts will, of course, enlarge during the course of your pregnancy. They will not likely become a DDD again but they will certainly get bigger than a B cup. After delivery, your breasts will almost certainly shrink back down. There are a few patients in which they do not shrink back down considerably but this is fairly rare. What will also happen in this shrinking process is that they may potentially end up even smaller than before, perhaps going all the way down to an A. This is known as breast involution (loss of breast tissue after pregnancy), and is common, but in the breast reduction patient may become more pronounced. I have seen more than one breast reduction patient who lost all of their remaining breast tissue after pregnancy and actually later went on to a have a breast augmentation to get back some breast volume and shape. What will actually happen to you, of course, can not be precisely predicted but I think the fear of ending up bigger again is unlikely.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana