Can You Breastfeed After A Breast Reduction Surgery?

Breast reduction procedures are surgeries that affect breastfeeding and one of the important things that people considering to undergo this operation are curious about is whether their ability to breastfeed will be preserved. Basically, breastfeeding happens when a baby sucks on the nipple of a breast, this stimulates nerves that trigger the release of the hormones oxytocin and prolaction which initiate milk production in the glandular tissues in the breast and they are delivered to the nipple by milk ducts. In breast reduction surgeries, the breasts are reduced in size and they are reshaped. Whether the patient will be able to breastfeed or not will be determined by where the incisions are made, how much and what kind of tissue is removed.

Some nerves in the breast structure, glandular tissue, milk ducts and nipple sensitivity are necessary elements for breastfeeding. These mentioned elements may be damaged during a breast reduction surgery. The preservation of the ability to breastfeed within the individual anatomy of the patient after a breast reduction surgery is affected by the surgical technique to be used, where the incisions are made and the amont of tissue to be removed. If the nerves that are important for milk production are damaged during a breast reduction surgery, if a lot of glandular tissue is removed, if the nipples lose sensation, the ability to breastfeed may be lost. In some breast reduction surgeries, the nipple is disconnected from blood supply and relocated. Procedures like these can cause loss of nipple sensitivity and can severe the connection between the nipples and the milk ducts.

Whether you have the ability to breastfeed or not after your breast reduction surgery will be clear when you try to breastfeed following a pregnancy after your surgery. If there is enough amount of glandular tissue present in the breasts, if the major nerves affecting milk production are not damaged, if the milk ducts are intact and maintain their connection to the nipples, if the nipples have sensitivity, the ability to breastfeed should remain.

If you wish to preserve your ability to breastfeed after a breast augmentation surgery, you should inform your doctor about this and discuss this subject before the surgery. In the light of a physical examination, your doctor should inform you about possible scenarios. If you intend to give birth and breastfeed in the near future, it may be advisable to postpone your surgery until this process is completed. Since pregnancy and breastfeeding can also affect the size, volume and the firmness of the breasts, it may be advisable to finish these processes first then have the breast reduction surgery, if the timing of the two are going to be close to each other.