Menstrual Period During Liposuction

It seems to be very commen that women develop the onset of their menstrual cycle in the i mmediate time prior to or even on the day of surgery.  No one knows for sure why this is the case, but it may have something to do with the normal enhanced level of anxiety which surrounds having surgery.  Having surgery while someone has their cycle may predipose to more bleeding, and in the case of liposuction, possibel prolonged bruising or swelling afterwards.  It should not, however be cause for serious alarm nor to cancel the case.  Good luck!

Thank you for your question. It is completely normal to menstruate during liposuction recovery process. Please rest assured, you have nothing to worry about. Good luck!

I appreciate your concerns. However, you don't have to worry. Menstruation does not affect risk in liposuction or any other procedure. If you feel uneasy about liposuction in general, please be assured that it is has an impressive 30+-year safety history. You might also consider nonsurgical fat-removal options such as CoolSculpting, Vanquish and ThermiLift. Please consult with a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in body contouring if you have any more questions about your procedure.

This is not an uncommon story. My experience even in women as "regular as a clock" with surgery scheduled between periods often start the day before, day of or within a few days after surgery. Menstrual cycles can become irregular at times of stress, from surgery and anesthesia. It should not be a problem  if you are menstruating at the time of surgery and I have not found personally any increase in complications because of this.

The menstrual period during expected time of liposuction should not be an absolute reason to change the surgery date out of concern of infection.

Thank you for the question.

Having your  menstrual period around the time of your surgery should have no effects on the safety or outcome of the surgery.

Best wishes.

I do not believe there is any problem with this.I guess if you are overly concerned then postponing your surgery a week or so should not be too difficult.

I doubt that having your period during your perioperative period (no pun intended) will affect things very much.  

There is no published evidence that having your period during Cosmetic Surgery significantly increases its complication rates. We commonly see women who BEGIN their period during surgery. Personally, I would prefer not to plan surgery during one's period out of consideration for my patient's comfort. Why haver to bother with your period and recovery from surgery if you could separate them? But - if the period happens during surgery, we deal with it. It is really not a big deal.

Good Luck.

Peter A Aldea, MD
Memphis, Tennessee

As stated previously it is more an annoyance. But there are risks of slightly higher infection or contamination rates. Yes I do lipo on menstral patients but I prefer not to. If the rescheduling is not an issue than I try to change the date.