Can I get Botox while pregnant or nursing?
Tell the practice if you are pregnant, nursing or planning a pregnancy, at the first contact.
Get the prescriber's answer on pregnancy and nursing
Do not read any web page as Botox clearance. Ask the prescriber what the product labeling says about pregnancy and nursing, and have that answer recorded in your chart.
Find the pregnancy line on the Botox consent form
The consent form is the first document to read here. Check whether it asks about pregnancy and nursing.
Then work through these:
- Find the pregnancy and nursing line on the consent form and read it in full.
- Tell the provider if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, are nursing, or plan to become pregnant.
- Ask what the product labeling says on the subject, and read the exact wording yourself.
- Ask for the practice's own policy for patients in your situation.
If a provider never asks about pregnancy or nursing, ask why.
Read three background pages on botulinum toxin treatment to prepare your questions: the Penn Medicine page on botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, the Aesthetic Society article on what really happens when you get Botox, and the Cleveland Clinic page on Botox injections. Do not read them as settling pregnancy or nursing. Take the questions they raise to the prescriber.
Raise pregnancy and nursing status in writing
- Write down your pregnancy or nursing status and any plans.
- Ask the provider for the labeling wording on pregnancy and nursing.
- Ask whether waiting is an option and what the provider advises.
- Leave unsigned any consent form you have not read.
Ask for the reason when labeling and advice differ
The prescriber's judgment about your case comes first. If the labeling and the provider's advice point different ways, have the reason written into your chart.