One of (if not the most) common question patients ask at our office is: can I get pregnant after I have a tummy tuck? Or should I have a tummy tuck now if I plan on having more children?

First and foremost, if you are worried about safety – it is perfectly safe for you to get pregnant after your tummy tuck procedure. The tummy tuck will have no effect on the pregnancy itself. What may be a concern is losing the results you got from your procedure.

Many of our tummy tuck New Jersey patients are mothers seeking to repair the changes caused by their pregnancy (loose muscles, hanging excess skin, a persistent abdominal bulge, small pockets of fat and/or stretch marks). These unhappy changes may appear again if a woman becomes pregnant after having had a tummy tuck. Typically, the abdominoplasty procedure (tummy tuck) includes some if not all of the following: the abdominal muscles are tightened; fat is removed through liposuction, and excess skin including stretch marks is removed.  When this is undone by a new pregnancy, many women then return for a ‘touch up’ of their first procedure to address any new recurrences.

To save yourself time and money, Dr. Franckle suggests waiting until you are finished having children to consider a full tummy tuck. We understand that life happens and everything can’t always be planned. If you are unsure whether or not you have completed your family but still desire a rejuvenation of your torso, liposuction and some form of a mini tummy tuck (mainly excess skin removal from the lower abdomen only) may be a better option. The downtime and costs are much less than the full procedure, and the big one can then be put off until you are sure.  However, for those of you that find yourselves pregnant after having had the full abdominoplasty, don’t worry, there are options for revitalization of the big procedure to tame that baby belly!