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Botox While Pregnant: Can it Harm my Child?

asked 1 year ago by Mollymy
Latest answer by Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Question viewed 524 times
Tags: female, pregnancy, safety

Hello! I read about the woman who got Botox five weeks after her last menstrual period. It says that you do not believe that the embryo is damaged. Now, unfortunately I took a botox syringe when I was 12 weeks and my anxiety is unbearable. My question is can my children have suffered because it had gone further in my pregnancy or the same as for the woman who took her injection at the beginning of her pregnancy. I did not know about the prohibition of botox during pregnancy. Thanks!

12 answers to Botox While Pregnant: Can it Harm my Child?

Botox While Pregnant

Hi Molly. Sorry to hear about all the anxiety this issue is creating for you. While no one knows for sure if Botox can harm the fetus (there are no studies), Botox is normally confined to a very small area in and around the muscle to which it is injected. While it's perfectly reasonable to have anxiety about this issue, we would try to do everything you can to come to peace with the issue for two reasons. First you cannot go backwards and reverse the injection and... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Botox while pregnant

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm sorry to hear that you are having so much anxiety. My recommendation would be to consult your ob/gyn. There haven't been any formal studies for the effects of Botox on pregnancy but is definitely not something you should do. Please see your ob/gyn. I'm sure he/she will be happy to answer your questions and check to make sure your baby is ok. Dr. Cat Begovic

Catherine Huang-Begovic, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

No one recommends cosmetic botox when pregnant.

Mollymy Of course that is not your question. Your question is that you got BOTOX at week 12 and you want to know will it harm your child. Because no formal testing has been done for BOTOX in pregnant women, on one can actually answer that question. There is a very small study of women who did receive BOTOX while pregnant there were absolutely no effects to their children. Also for certain medical conditions, such as neck spasm, doctors are occasionally forced to... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox and pregnancy

You should absolutely stay away from Botox while pregnant or nursing. I would consult with your OB\GYN and hopefully he/she will give you some peace of mind. Botox should stay local in the area of injection and not be absorbed into your system. I would avoid putting anything into your system that is not fully necessary for health purposes and is prescribed and consented to by your OB physician. In my practice a consent form and history and physical are done prior to treatment and "Is their a... more

Michael Elam, MD
Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon

michaelelammd.com

Botox and pregnancy

Although using Botox during pregnancy is contraindicated it is unlikely that your cosmetic treatment will have ill effects on the baby. Treatment is supposed to stay localized to the area injected-- if the Botox travelled to other parts of the body in any significant way it would be contraindicated for you, too! That being said, avoid any further treatments with Botox until the pregnancy and breastfeeding are over.

Dina D. Strachan, MD
New York Dermatologist

Botox and Pregnancy

Botox is definitely something to avoid while pregnant. That said, as a mother of 3 myself, no matter how hard we try, "mistakes" will always happen. As mothers, we always find ways to blame ourselves for anything negative that happens to our children whether we actually caused it or not. Stress is not good for you or the baby, so I would recommend trying to worry as little as possible and get ready for the wonderful time as a new mother you will soon enjoy! more

Victoria W. Serralta, MD
Arlington Dermatologic Surgeon

Botox Cosmetic Injection and Pregnancy

Botox is not recommended for pregnant and nursing women. Were you injected by a board certified facial surgeon or plastic surgeon? You should consult with your OBGYN. Best wishes!

Michael Sullivan, MD
Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox is pregnancy category C

According to the FDA, botox is category C. But most of the product should stay local in your forehead and not get absorbed into your system. Thta's the whole idea of the treatment. Therefore, your baby should be fine. But in the future, I would recommend not to get any cosmetic treatments while pregnant.

Gary Goldenberg, MD
New York Dermatologist

Botox while pregnant

There have been no formal studies looking at Botox and it's safety in pregnancy. However, there is one study that found that women who received botox and later found out they were pregnant had uneventful pregnancies. Always tell a physician that you are pregnant (at whatever stage you are in) whenever receiving any treatments or medications and consult your Ob/Gyn for further reccomendations and insight into this issue.

Keshini Parbhu, MD
Orlando Oculoplastic Surgeon

www.orlandoeyeopener.com

Botox while pregnant

I do not recommend Botox while pregnant or nursing. I would consult your OBGYN to discuss the topic further.

Thomas T. Nguyen, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Do not get Botox while pregnant

I do not recommend you get Botox while you are pregnant. It has not been studied or documented yet but is not worth the risk. Just wait and do it after you give birth and are done breastfeeding.

Babak Azizzadeh, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox, Wrinkle Treatment, Beverly Hills Botox, Los Angeles Botox

Botox is contraindicated while you are pregnant or breast feeding your baby and I would hope that no physician or nurse who does Botox feels otherwise. It certainly is not worth the risk to you child, having Botox during that period of time. Wait and treat your wrinkles later.