What is Breast Implant Illness?

Breast Implant Illness. It’s a big, somewhat controversial topic and one that I strongly feel needs to be talked about more. It affects hundreds of thousands of women, if not more, with breast implants. BII is characterized as a cascade of symptoms that are autoimmune or connective tissue problems that began after their implants were placed.

Many women have been battling symptoms of BII for 10+ years, and have largely been ignored by mainstream medicine, the FDA and implant manufacturers. It’s hard to get an exact count because there’s no one test for BII. The majority of women only see relief from the symptoms of BII once they have had explant surgery.

So just what is Breast Implant Illness? There is no one concrete definition of BII because it’s an array of symptoms that varies from woman to woman. For some women it might be joint pain and headaches, for another, it’s memory issues and fatigue. And often, it’s a combination of multiple health issues, with many women having 30 or more symptoms. The list below describes the most prevalent list of symptoms reported by female patients.

Symptoms of Breast Implant Illness (note: this is not an exhaustive list)

Fatigue
Cognitive Dysfunction (brain fog, memory issues)
Rash
Headaches
Joint pain
Autoimmune diagnosis
Leaky gut
IBS
Hair loss
Decreased libido
Swollen lymph nodes
Recurrent infections
Thyroid issues (hypo & hyper)
Anxiety
Depression
IBS
Muscle pain
Mood swings
Weight gain
Connective Tissue Disease
Tinnitus
Hormone imbalances
Photosensitivity
Chills
Body odor
Poor sleep
Premature aging

Common Questions about Breast Implant Illness

1. Does BII cause Hormone Imbalance?

If you’re thinking BII symptoms look a lot like a list for hormone imbalance, you’re right. This cascade of symptoms causes inflammation and systemic stress in your body that can lead to one or more hormone imbalances, while greatly diminishing your immune system, leaving you open to chronic infections and other health issues like the ones listed above.

2. What are some of the potential health risks that may arise from having implants?

There are a number of health issues that women may encounter including autoimmune issues. According to Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, director of the Division of Rheumatology at the U of A “The risk of women with breast implantation developing an autoimmune disease was 45 percent higher compared to women without implants.” [1]

Women with textured implants may also have an increased chance of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, a T-cell lymphoma which can develop post breast implant surgery. It is not breast cancer and is generally found in the scar tissue and fluid surrounding the implant, though it can spread throughout the body. BI-ALCL is characterized by pain, persistent swelling and/or a mass in the capsular scar tissue. According to the FDA, “The risk of BIA-ALCL is higher for textured surface implants versus smooth surface implants.” [2]

3. Is there a test for Breast Implant Illness?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a diagnostic test for BII, as it is a cluster of symptoms that varies from woman to woman.

4. Do I have to have every symptom to have BII?

No, the cluster of symptoms will be different for every woman. Breast implant illness is a multi-faceted illness and is base on your body’s immune response, genetics, biofilm, oxidative stress, and heavy metals.

5. I have breast implants, why does it affect my entire body?

Your body systems are all connected, so implants can affect the entire system.

Endocrine: aka your hormones (thyroid, adrenal, sex hormones)

Immune: viral and bacterial infections, autoantibodies

Metabolic: fatigue

Neurological: brain fog, cognitive issues

Digestive: leaky gut, food sensitivities, IBS

Support

If you have implants and have any of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to talk to a practitioner knowledgeable about BII and explant surgery. It’s imperative that your medical team supports you and that you find a plastic surgeon who performs en-bloc or a total capsulectomy if en-bloc is not an option.

If you want more information, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter below and let me know what you want to know about BII, explant surgery, and the healing journey. Healing is real and I’m here to support you every step of the way.

I love hearing from readers and hope you found this blog helpful. Please let me know in the comments. If you think we would be a good fit for Explant Support coaching, check out my coaching options here.

Be sure to share this post with any woman you think might benefit from it and share it on social media.

Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more awesome explant and hormone info and to see what I’m up to in Nigeria.