Unfortunately, many things are safer to avoid while pregnant rather than risk the potential side effects. Botox happens to be one of these things. Unfortunately/fortunately, the ability to study the impact of potentially harmful substances on pregnant individuals is limited, mainly because they could be detrimental. And because of this lack of ability to run studies on pregnant parents, we don't know how impactful Botox could be on an unborn child. Botox is a toxin that causes botulism. It is injected in small amounts to cause temporary muscle paralyzation.
There are many different reasons that individuals might choose to get Botox. The more obvious reason is to slow or stop aging. Still, it can also help prevent migraines, stop twitching, lessen sweating, reduce chronic pain, treat an overactive bladder, help with eye problems, reduce muscle spasms, and treat dystonia.
Side Effects of Botox
Botox itself has a list of possible side effects that someone might experience, and these are important to consider if you are contemplating getting Botox in pregnancy. Some of these include muscle weakness, blurred or double vision, hoarseness or difficulty forming words, difficulty breathing, trouble swallowing, and urinary incontinence.
What Previous Studies Have Taught Us
Though there have been no studies on humans, there have been studies done on mice that showed Botox did not pass through the placenta, which could be a positive indicator of the safety of Botox. However, humans are not animals, so it is still not concrete information. On the other hand, there were other studies done on animals that showed that higher amounts of Botox caused miscarriage, congenital disabilities, and low birth weight. In general, caution is needed to avoid Botox, if possible, as it is the best way to go about it, but at the end of the day, you can only weigh the risks and benefits of your situation.
Embrace the Changes & Weigh the Risks
Sometimes, in pregnancy, specific visual changes occur to the body, like the mask of pregnancy, stretch marks, varicose veins, and more acne. Although it can feel unnerving to experience these drastic changes, patience should be practiced as most of them fade or go away entirely after pregnancy. If you are using Botox to treat a medical condition, take note that sometimes pregnancy will lessen or resolve problems, even if they have been a lifelong issue. If this is not the case for you, then this would be an excellent time to talk with your healthcare provider and begin weighing the risks and benefits to make the best decision for you and your baby.
Only you can decide if Botox is something that you should do during your pregnancy or if it would be best to avoid it. This is great practice for advocating for your unborn child as you will have to continue to advocate and make choices through them in childbirth, postpartum, and throughout their entire life. When making a choice, I love using the acronym BRAIND, what are the Benefits, Risks, and Alternatives, what does my Intuition tell me, what if I chose Not to do it, and then taking time to Decide. If you start using BRAIND during your pregnancy, it will be much easier to utilize in childbirth and beyond.
