Most mothers-to-be already know the basic dos and don’ts of pregnancy:
Eat right, get plenty of rest, no smoking and no drinking — but what about cosmetic procedures like Botox?
Botox use has not been fully studied in accordance with pregnancy.
Botox Cosmetic has been studied in pregnant mice, rats and rabbits. “The babies of mice and rats were born with low birth weights and/or delayed bone development. Pregnant rabbits who received Botox injections fared even worse, miscarrying or delivering babies with severe malformation or even dying themselves. Up till now studies cannot show that the same would happen or not happen in human babies”.
No one is 100% certain whether Botox is safe to use when pregnant. The main reason for this is that tests would have to be carried out on pregnant woman and consequently very little research has been conducted. This lack of evidence is enough for doctors to advise against using Botox when pregnant.
Some doctors feel that Botox stays in the muscle near the injection site and doesn’t enter the blood stream, and because of this feel it should not affect the baby. On the other hand, a lot of doctors are against the use of any non-essential services being offered to a pregnant patient, just to be on the safe side.
The effects of botulinum toxin A (btxA) administration during human pregnancy are largely unknown. Allergan, the manufacturers of Botox, state “it is not known whether Botox is excreted in human milk” , with this also said, there is no proof that there is no risk to the baby.
The lack of research surrounding the use of Botox during pregnancy should be a deterrent.