How Safe Is Pregnancy after Abdominoplasty?

Getting pregnant after abdominoplasty is considered safe, but the results of the procedure are typically undone by the pregnancy. The point of a tummy tuck — as abdominoplasty is more commonly known — is to get rid of excess skin and flab in the lower abdomen, but pregnancy requires this area to stretch. Fortunately, a pregnancy is not typically threatened by the small amount of skin in the abdomen, and the growth of the uterus will continue even if the skin is particularly tight around it. The worst case scenario may be some discomfort in the abdominal muscles toward the end of the pregnancy, because there is a lot of pressure on those muscles in the third trimester. In general, the result of pregnancy after abdominoplasty will likely be a need for the procedure to be done again, though some women might also notice more stretch marks.

Many women opt for a tummy tuck after pregnancy, because they notice loose skin and extra flab in the lower abdomen. This may form a pouch that does not seem to go away, no how much regular exercise is done. A tummy tuck is considered an effective way to get rid of the excess tissue, because extra skin is usually cut off and the remainder is stretched, folded and sutured. Stubborn flab may be removed with liposuction during the tummy tuck, slightly shrinking the waist. Pregnancy can undo this work, taking the stomach from flat to protruding, which is why many plastic surgeons urge women to wait until they are done having children to have a tummy tuck.

There is noticeably less skin in the lower abdomen during a pregnancy after abdominoplasty, so some women have concerns about whether their baby will be able to grow properly. It should be noted that skin is elastic, so it will stretch as much as it needs to stretch to accommodate the growing uterus. In addition, the growth occurs over the course of nine months, not overnight, so the skin usually has time to stretch gradually. The main complaint about the effects of pregnancy after abdominoplasty is an increase in stretch marks. Some women are more prone to stretch marks than others, so there is no way to tell how many a woman will get during a pregnancy after abdominoplasty, especially compared to how many she would have gotten without an abdominoplasty.

In many cases, the stomach muscles are tightened during a tummy tuck, which contributes to the appearance of a flat stomach afterward. During pregnancy, these muscles separate, which is not usually felt or noticed by most women in the first and second trimesters. During the third trimester, however, the weight of the uterus pressing against the abdominal wall may result in sore muscles. While the baby is not typically harmed during pregnancy after abdominoplasty, most plastic surgeons usually recommend waiting until after pregnancy to have this procedure done to avoid having to repeat the procedure afterward.