Breast implants can affect milk production, but most women with implants are able to breastfeed. In a study of more than 3,500 women who had breast augmentation, roughly 75% to 81% successfully breastfed, depending on the type of implant and where it was placed. The key factors that influence your milk supply are where the implant sits in relation to your breast tissue, the type of incision used during surgery, and whether any nerve pathways were disrupted.
How Implant Placement Affects Supply
The single biggest factor in whether implants interfere with milk production is where the implant was positioned: behind the chest muscle (submuscular) or directly behind the breast tissue (subglandular).
When implants are placed behind the muscle, they sit farther from the milk-producing glands. This matters. Women with submuscular silicone implants reported insufficient milk production about 18% to 19.5% of the time. For women with subglandular placement, that number jumped to 25.1%. Saline implants followed the same pattern. The likely explanation is straightforward: an implant sitting directly behind breast tissue can press on the glands responsible for making milk, physically limiting their ability to function. Submuscular placement puts a layer of muscle between the implant and those glands, reducing that pressure.
Breastfeeding rates reflect this difference. About 81% of women with partial submuscular silicone implants breastfed their babies, compared to roughly 75% of women with subglandular placement. The gap was even wider for saline implants, where subglandular placement dropped breastfeeding rates to about 68%.
Does the Incision Type Matter?
There’s a common concern that periareolar incisions (made around the edge of the areola) could cut through milk ducts or damage the nerves that trigger the let-down reflex. A key nerve branch runs through the path of that incision and sends signals deep into the breast to reach the nipple. Damage to this nerve could theoretically interfere with the hormonal signals that tell your body to release milk.
In practice, though, the data is reassuring. A scoping review of breastfeeding after augmentation found that 46% of women with areolar incisions and 47% of women with incisions below the breast continued breastfeeding, a difference that was not statistically significant. The review concluded there was no significant effect of incision type on breastfeeding success. One large study also found no measurable change in nipple sensation in the periareolar group, though a small change was noted in the group with incisions below the breast.
Implant Size and Other Factors
Larger implants (400 cc and above) have the potential to put more pressure on surrounding tissue, though the research on size alone is less definitive than the data on placement. What complicates the picture is that some women who choose augmentation had less breast tissue to begin with, which can independently affect milk supply. It’s not always easy to separate the effects of surgery from pre-existing anatomy.
Long-term complications can also play a role. Capsular contracture, where scar tissue tightens around the implant and squeezes the surrounding breast, can compress milk-producing glands over time. Chronic breast pain from this or other complications may also make breastfeeding difficult or uncomfortable enough to discourage it.
Mastitis rates are slightly higher in women with subglandular implants (about 6%) compared to submuscular placement (3% to 4%), likely because of the closer contact between the implant and breast tissue.
Is Breast Milk Safe With Implants?
Yes. A National Academy of Sciences review found no differences in silicon levels in the breast milk or blood of women with implants compared to women without them. Cow’s milk and commercial infant formula actually contain much higher levels of silicon than human breast milk from women with implants. The committee found no evidence of any harmful substance being transmitted through breast milk due to implants.
An early report had raised concern about swallowing problems in children who were breastfed by mothers with silicone implants, but a follow-up epidemiological study found no elevated risk of esophageal disease in those children. Animal studies also showed no abnormalities in offspring breastfed by mothers with silicone implants.
What to Expect If You Breastfeed With Implants
The most common challenge is not a complete inability to breastfeed but rather a partial reduction in milk supply. If your implants are submuscular, your odds of having a full supply are better, but even with subglandular placement, the majority of women still produce milk.
If your supply falls short, supplementing with formula or donor milk while continuing to breastfeed is a well-established approach. The CDC recommends that women with breast surgery work with a board-certified lactation consultant who can help with techniques to stimulate production and set up supplemental feeding if needed. Some mothers use a thin tube taped alongside the nipple that delivers formula or donor milk while the baby nurses, so the baby gets enough nutrition while still stimulating the breast.
The most practical thing you can do is pay close attention to your baby’s weight gain and diaper output in the first few weeks. These are the clearest indicators of whether your baby is getting enough milk. Frequent nursing in the early days also helps establish whatever supply your body can produce, since milk production works on a supply-and-demand system regardless of implants.
Planning Ahead
If you haven’t had augmentation yet and breastfeeding is important to you, the research points toward submuscular placement as the better option for preserving milk production. The incision type appears to matter less than placement, but discussing all options with your surgeon is worthwhile.
If you already have implants, knowing your placement type and incision location helps set realistic expectations. Women with submuscular implants can expect breastfeeding outcomes fairly close to the general population. Women with subglandular implants face a higher chance of needing supplementation, but three out of four still breastfeed successfully. Having a lactation plan in place before delivery, rather than scrambling after, gives you the best shot at meeting your feeding goals.