I Received Botox the Morning Prior to Conception. What Are the Risks?

Thank you for your question. I would not worry too much if you had Botox and found out you were pregnant. Botox works locally where it was injected and the dosing is very small. The makers of Botox would never consider sponsoring a study to see the safety of Botox 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.

It is not known what effects Botox has on the baby during pregnancy as there is not much research on it.  For this reason we do not recommend that women get Botox when pregnant, breastfeeding, or if they plan to become pregnant.  I would discuss the situation with your OB/Gyn.

Hi Betsy.  We're not sure that we can add much to the very comprehensive answer made by Dr. Altman other than to say that we believe you should try not to lose sleep over this.  That is not meant to minimize your concerns but rather to help you feel better about the situation.

Although there are no studies involving pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant that are also using Botox, the chance of the Botox making it to the fetus would be exceedingly low based on the localized nature of the product.

There are no known risks to the fetus when a mother receives cosmetic botulinum toxin prior to conception. This has become a very common issue and this questio comes up frequently on this forum. There is a tiny study of woman who were pregnant and received Botox. There is never going to be definitive studies on this question because the medical ethics to do justify undertaking such a study. While the risk of harm seems very low, possible zero, cosmetic Botox should not knowingly be administer to pregnant women. Using it for medical reasons is a different matter that must be carefully weighed. I suggest speaking with your obstetrician and consulting a neonatologist if questions remain.

Dear BetsyBetsy,

Although we don't know the exact risks with botox and pregnancy, I think that you will be fine. I would never recommend botox during pregnancy, or while breast feeding. However, having botox just before you conceived is unlikely to affect the fetus at such a very early stage. If you think about the mechanism of Botox, it works on the receptor complex between the nerves and the muscles. While your fetus is only in the early cell stages, there shouldn't be any interactions. I would recommend that you tell your OB that you had botox the day before you conceived, but I am hopeful that it won't affect the development or health of your baby. Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy.