Regarding silicone breast implants and breastfeeding - there has been only
one case report to date of children of women with SBI. Levine and Ilowite
(JAMA, 1994) examined 11 children (8 breast and 3 bottle-fed) born to
mothers with SBI. It is of interest to note that these children came from
only 4 families. These children were compared to 17 children who were not
exposed to SBI (feeding history was not given). The results showed that 6 of
the 8 had significantly abnormal esophageal motility. there was no
difference in the expression of autoanitbodies in the breastfed children
compared with the btl-fed children or controls. According to our chief of
gastroenterology there are no established norms related to esophageal
motility in children. Also the controls were older than the study group
which might influence the motility rates. There has also been criticism that
there was possible selection bias in this study.

With regards to increased risk of collagen-type or auto-immune disorders in
women with SBI there have been several (3) very large case-control studies
done. The Nurses' health and Mayo Clinic study showed no association btw SBI
and connective tissue disease. The Women's Health Cohort study showed a
slight increase in "self" reports of CTD (this was after the FDA ban).

Only one report (unpublished) exists re. silicone in breastmilk. This was
done by Dow Corning corp in 1991. They found no significant difference in
levels of silicone in 6 samples of milk from women w/SBI compared to water
or control human milk samples.

IMO based on the information we have to date, if the mother's history is not
suspicious for implant rupture then she should not be discouraged from
bfing.

Nancy Hurst, RN, MSN
Director, Lactation Program and Milk Bank
Texas Children's Hospital