Can Sagging Breasts After Pregnancy Be Prevented?

Throughout the course of pregnancy, your body will change in many ways, some anticipated and others quite unexpected. (Hello, new stomach shelf to rest snacks on!) Even after pregnancy, your body can continue to surprise you. One of the most common differences people see is newly sagging breasts.

Every pregnant person starts out with a different body size and shape—breasts or chest included—so the impact pregnancy has on breast sag will be different as well. Factors like genetics, your breast size before pregnancy, whether or not you nurse or pump, and your age can impact how your breast tissue changes after birth.1 Some breasts may look unchanged, others may get bigger or smaller, and still others may sag in places they never did before.

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way for your breasts or chest to look before or after pregnancy. But here’s what the experts say about what to expect and if there’s anything you can do to minimize breast changes like sagging.

Why Do Breasts Sag After Pregnancy?

Throughout pregnancy, your breasts will likely get bigger—as much as one cup size or more—as the result of estrogen enlarging your milk ducts and pregnancy weight gain.2 Your breasts or chest will also grow more after delivery as your milk comes in. It’s important to keep in mind that breastfeeding itself does not cause sagging breasts, but rather, it’s due to the physical changes in your body during and after pregnancy.

Once breast milk production halts, the breasts shrink back down to their original size (or in some cases, smaller). However, the now stretched-out skin may not have the elasticity to shrink down to match the smaller breast size. As the result of a higher ratio of skin to breast tissue, the breasts may sag, explains Constance M. Chen, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York.

Age and DNA also are determining factors when it comes to breast skin elasticity, notes Dr. Chen. “Some [people] naturally have more skin elasticity than others,” she says. Younger people tend to have more skin elasticity than older people, “but at the end of the day a lot depends on genetics,” she says.

How much your chest size changes during pregnancy, lactation, and weaning will also influence how much sagging occurs. If you go down by just a cup size or less, you’ll likely end up with less sagging than someone who experiences a larger change in size. Additionally, weakened chest muscles and less dense breast tissue can exacerbate sagging, which in turn can potentially cause breast pain (this is called mastalgia) by putting strain on surrounding ligaments.

What Experts Say About Preventing Breast Sagging After Pregnancy

Sagging is a very normal and natural part of breast changes that can occur with pregnancy and aging, and there is nothing that you have to do to “fix” sagging breasts. Pregnancy can and does change the body and those changes are nothing to be ashamed of. And breast changes aren’t limited to post-pregnancy: Aging is a big contributor to sagging breasts so even those who don’t experience pregnancy will eventually experience this issue as they get older.4

Ultimately, the fact that many of the variables that affect how breasts change after pregnancy are out of your control, prevention isn’t necessarily in your control either. But if you’re looking for some tips that may help minimize breast sag after pregnancy—and help you feel more comfortable and happy in your body—here are a few expert-backed tips you can try on for size. (Along with a new bra, because odds are, your breasts will change in size too!)

Wear a supportive bra that fits you properly

“A good supportive bra can help minimize the pulling down of a heavy breast,” Dr. Chen says. While wearing a bra doesn’t necessarily reduce the risk of breast sagging (and not wearing one doesn’t cause sagging), wearing a supportive, well-fitting bra can help minimize discomfort, especially if you have larger breasts.

Wearing a quality, well-fitting bra while you’re expecting and following your baby’s birth can support breast tissues and muscles, notes Heather Bartos, MD, FACOG, an OB-GYN at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton in Denton, Texas. And the more often you can keep your breasts supported, the better. “I wore a nursing bra even at night,” Dr. Bartos shares. That said, if you’re more comfortable without a bra, that’s fine, too.

Try targeted strength training or yoga

Once you have the go-ahead from a health care provider to hit the gym after giving birth, try incorporating workouts like yoga, pilates, or strength training that strengthen your pectoral and back muscles. Specifically, look to strengthen your latissimus dorsi muscles (aka lats), which are on the sides of your middle to lower back, advises Dr. Bartos.

While strength training won’t change your breast tissue, strengthening the pecs that support the chest can provide the breasts with a bit of lift. Working the back muscles will also improve posture, which can help your breasts appear perkier. A hunched back (which often comes with holding a baby) accentuates the look of sagging breasts while holding your shoulders back lifts up your chest.

“Practicing yoga will strengthen those pecs—and can induce weight loss which can sometimes make the fatty tissue of the breasts smaller—leaving the toned pectoral muscles holding up the smaller breasts,” adds Pamela Crane, a yoga teacher in Montclair, Virginia.

Crane recommends strengthening the pecs with poses like plank, side plank, and warrior II. And for posture support, try chest-opening poses like supported fish, bow pose, and dancer.

Don’t underestimate the power of nutrition

You may have been focused on your nutrition throughout your pregnancy and after giving birth for the health of you and your baby, but as a bonus, eating a balanced, nutritious diet can also be a boon for your breasts’ appearance. Drinking enough water is also key to keeping your skin healthy, and may improve skin elasticity.5

Mary Rosser, MD, an OB-GYN at ColumbiaDoctors and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, explains: “A nutritious diet and hydration will keep skin supple, helping to maintain and maybe improve the skin’s natural elasticity.”