How Serious Are the Effects of Botox One Week After Conceiving?

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.

although doctors do not knowingly inject Botox in women who are pregnant, there must be a sizable population of women who did have Botox treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy without being aware they were pregnant, just because of the huge number of women who have treatments done each year, and the probability exists that some didn't know they were pregnant at the time. I am not aware of reports of problems with babies born to such mothers but neither the company that makes Botox, nor physicians would advocate such treatment. Notify your OB-GYN so you can be followed for this and avoid more Botox until after you have stopped breast feeding.

This is a relatively common situation.  While no one should be injecting BOTOX for women who are known to be pregnant, the drug itself does not appear to pose much risk under this circumstance.  Unfortunately we just have so little information that it is impossible to be definitive about this.  There is a small study of woman who used BOTOX early in pregnancy with no problems.  My best advise is to personal discuss the situation with your personal gynecologist and this will help you be more comfortable no matter what you choose to do.

As you know, Botox is not recommended when someone is pregnant or nursing.  There are no studies showing that it causes harm to a fetus, but logic dictates it be avoided. Your scenario has occurred many times in other women and no adverse affects have been reported.  Let your OB know and they'll monitor the situation. 

Botox is not recommended for pregnant patients because there are not enough human studies to assess the risks.  This means it has not been evaluated to be safe or harmful to the fetus. It is common for people to have treatment before knowing they are pregnant.  I would discuss with your OB but I would not worry.  I hope this helps.

Kindest regards

Neil J. Zemmel

The impact on the fetus of botox is not tested since no one would want to risk harming the fetus. However, it is fairly common situation and no reported adverse events have occured. Speak with your gynecologist so he/she can follow you during your pregnancy.

Although not recommended for use in pregnancy, given the amount likely used and the easy stage of gestation, it is highly unlikely that there are any untoward effects on the fetus. Do not worry.

It's not ideal to treat patients who are pregnant and there aren't going to be real-life stories because no one does research on this - we wouldn't want to hurt a baby. However, given that you just found out you're pregnant, I would tell you that I know you're going to be just fine. Don't have any more Botox or filler treatments during your pregnancy or while you're breastfeeding, but for now, you're fine and enjoy your pregnancy!