I Had Dysport Injections 5 Months Into Pregnancy, Should I Be Worried?

Thank you for your question. I would not worry too much if you had Dysport and found out you were pregnant, but I would not recommend any future treatments during pregnancy. Dysport works locally where it was injected and the dosing is very small. The makers of Dysport would never consider sponsoring a study to see the safety of Dysport during pregnancy or breast feeding as it would be too risky for them. Likewise, for physicians. I generally provide reassurance for situations like yours and I do recommend that you stop any future injectable treatments until either the baby is born and after breast feeding. I would also let you OB know that you had a Botox treatment during pregnancy so they are aware.

   Dysport is contraindicated during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.  There have been no controlled human studies to determine if use is safe during pregnancy.  As mentioned above, no reputable provider would inject a pregnant or lactating patient.  Neurotoxins work beautifully on crow's feet and frown lines, I strongly recommend waiting until after your pregnancy and you are finished breastfeeding.

Neurotoxins are contraindicated during pregnancy.  However, sometimes people have injecitons before they know they are pregnant.  There is no evidence that there will be any harm, but it is always better to be safe.  So, if you know you are pregnant, it is recommended not to have injecitons.  If you have already had injecitons, don't stay up at night worrying.

 

Good Luck.

Bottom line.  Don't get these treatments for elective purposes while pregnant.  There are now a lot of threads on this topic.  Only you and your obstetrician can assess the concerns for you.  However there is a small study that followed women who for one reason or another where treated during pregnancy with no adverse effects.  No that does not mean you should get retreated during pregnancy.  We have no evidence that this practice is in fact safe.

While very few physicians would inject a patient knowingly who was pregnant with botulinum toxin, it has been done, and there are yet to be any adverse reports. Always best to check with Motherisk at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto whenever a medication is being considered or has been given during pregnancy or nursing; they recently reported a review showing no issues when botulinum toxin was used during pregnancy (typically inadvertently). ~ Dr. Benjamin Barankin, Toronto Dermatology Centre.

However, we do not recommend the injections when you are pregnant.  Because they cannot do the research on pregnant patients to prove that it is safe, the FDA does not recommend it.  There are no direct causal links to birth defects, but it's always safest to wait until you have delivered and are done breast feeding before receiving any more injections.  Best to you.

As far as I know, there are no reports of any adverse effects of Dysport during pregnancy, HOWEVER, it is absolutely NOT RECOMMENDED for use during pregnancy.  So please do not consider having any more injections until you have delivered your baby and are not nursing. 

It is recommended not to use any neurotoxin during pregnancy.

Check with your OB Doctor and the injecting person. Did you tell them you were pregnant?

I am unaware of any documented risks associated with the injection of a neurotoxin, such as Botox or Dysport.  Both are highly effective forms of botulinum toxin A (Botox is onabotulinumtoxinA while Dysport is abobotulinumtoxinA).  Some people have described an earlier and more even onset with Dysport vs Botox and I've seen that anecdotally, but I haven't seen any studies that document that.

However, I would not advise the injection of any neurotoxin (or, really, any elective procedure or treatment) during a pregnancy unless there is a proven track record, significant concern, etc.  There are simply too many questions concerning ANYTHING during pregnancy, however unlikely the problems could be.

So - I don't know of any concerns - but I wouldn't try that again...

I hope that this helps, and good luck,

Dr. E

There are no reports (SO FAR) of adverse effects of injection of a neurotoxin such as Dysport or Botox during pregnancy. However, no reputable physician should knowingly inject a neurotoxin into a pregnant patient. Please wait until after you are finished breast feeding your baby to consider any further injections.