Blood clots in the legs that might travel to the lungs is a serious concern after surgery and is of particular concern after tummy tucks. I generally advise my patients to discontinue BCP, if possible, one month prior to surgery.
This is something you should discuss with your surgeon as well as any other precautions that will be taken to reduce your risk of postop blood clots. (Richard Kofkoff, MD, FACS, Saint Louis Plastic Surgeon)
Discontinuing birth control pills lowers risk of blood clots
DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, is a serious and dangerous complication of many large surgeries like a tummy tuck.
I have my patients discontinue birth control pills at the time of their last period before surgery (about one month). Although it should go without saying, we advise patients to use an alternative form of birth control during this time. (Michael S. Hopkins, MD, Albuquerque Plastic Surgeon)
Stopping birth control and active walking after surgery are important steps to reducing blood clots afterwards. We also have patients take an aspirin daily afterwards to further reduce the risk. (Tripti Burt, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
Oral birth control represents a modifiable risk factor and should be discontinued if possible. Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of tummy tucks each year. Then look at the plastic surgeon’s website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results. (Kenneth B. Hughes, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)
BCP’s are a risk factor for blood clots, and the tummy tuck has the highest rate of clotting among the operations performed by plastic surgeons.
Stopping will provide some lowering of risk, but the optimal timing should be discussed with your surgeon and/or OB. (Jourdan Gottlieb, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
The reason to stop is that the hormones may be associated with a higher rate of a blood clot. Obviously getting pregnant is not the goal if you are planning a tummy tuck. Best to ask your PS (Michael Hueneke, MD, Nashville Plastic Surgeon)