Would Being Anemic Cause Severe Complications with Breast Reduction?

Thank you for the question.

Prior to breast reduction surgery your hemoglobin/ hematocrit will be checked to assess the presence of “anemia”. You will likely be pleasantly surprised that you will remain a good candidate for the breast reduction procedure.   If not iron supplementation part of surgery may be necessary.

Best wishes.

Hi there-

First, I would agree with Dr. Aldea that the most common reason young people "pass out" during venipuncture is not because of anemia, but because of a vasovagal reflex.

As far as your anemia goes.... 

The risks anemia poses to a breast reduction patient would depend on many factors, including the root cause of the anemia, the severity of your anemia (how low is your blood count), your age and overall state of health (young people in excellent health would tolerate surgery and resultant blood loss better than older patients with health problems), and the surgeon doing your surgery (some of us lose more blood than others).

I would start by discussing the matter with your gynecologist or primary care doctor. After getting a firm understanding of your anemia and overall health, they will be able to tell you if you are a good surgical candidate.

Then you could proceed with your search for a well-trained, experienced, and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

However, I cannot tell that having fainted from a blood draw means that you are anemic. You may have just had a what is called a VasoVagal response.  Some people pass out at the site of blood. If you have had your blood count checked and it is in fact low, the more important question is "why." It is generally not normal to be anemic and many forms of anemia can be treated. Having elective surgery while anemic is not a great idea, but you should be able to make sure you are anemic and treat that anemia so that you are safe for surgery.