>>Now for my question. Are there any contraindications to breastfeeding with breast implants? The LC I work with thought she read somewhere that they caused problems with the esophagus in the baby. Thanks in advance for your help.<< The issue that your LC friend recalled actually has to do with silicone filled breast implants specifically, and not all implants. I have a couple of preliminary articles that discuss correlations between esophageal schleroderma and breastfeeding from moms with these implants; conclusion: "A relationship appears to exist between breastfeeding by mothers with silicone implants and abnormal esophageal motility. Studies evaluating larger numbers of children are needed to determine the extent of the risk." (JAMA. 1994, 271:213-216) Another JAMA article from that edition, "Silicone Implants and Esophageal Dysmotility: Are breastfed infants at Risk?" comments, "Should US physicians join their European colleagues in recommending that mothers with silicone implants refrain from nursing their infants? Clearly, more data are needed and indeed are beginning to appear."........ " The AMA's council on scientific affairs has estimated that it will be many years before controlled trials determine if silicone gel breast implants are associated with an increase in immune disorders among the recipients themselves. The benefits of breastfeeding, including the infant's reduced susceptibility to infections diseases and promotion of maternal infant-bonding, are well established, while the potential adverse effects reported by Levine and Ilowite among breastfed children of silicone implant recipients are yet to be confirmed." From "FDA Backgrounder" Aug. 91- Important Information on Breast Implants - 7. Is there a risk to nursing infant from the polyurethane coating? \ At this oint, there has been one report that a trace amount of TDA from polyurethane may have been found in 1 out of 3 samples of breastmilk from one woman. ... FDA is requirign the mfr of the implant to conduct further studies on breastmilk. Studies will also be conducted on TDA levels in blood and urine." I also heard a spokeswoman for Command Trust, an anti-implant activist group, address this topic. As a "victim" of implant surgery gone awry and as the collector of "disaster" info, she has strong hesitations for a woman to breastfeed with silicone implants. LLL takes a differing standpoint, and the two do not agree. My own personal conclusion is to assess the individual mother and share my available information. I want to know if she has had any complications with the implants, especially ruptures. I want to know if her implant has a polyurethane coating--- this is known to break down and release questionable by-products (TDA) into the system. If everything appears intact, then I personally feel that breastfeeding is probably safer than ABM. If the mother has suffered problems, however, I would want to look much further, and perhaps recommend further testing. I do wonder, with all of our silicone nipples and such, how much silicone is ingested in other ways....... and whether that constitutes a health risk or not! This is the most up-to-date info I have. If more has come out and someone has it, I hope you'll share it! -Lisa Marasco, LLLL, IBCLC [log in to unmask]