Breast Implants and Hashimoto's

There's a topic that's been swept under the rug for years because it's inconvenient for the industry, for doctors, for regulators, for everyone. Women get sick, they go to offices, they pay for tests, they hear that it's stress, that it's in their head, that it's normal after giving birth, that it's age, that it's anxiety. Then someone says the word Hashimoto, gives them a hormone, lets them live their lives, but the symptoms remain.

And here comes the question that many women ask themselves late, sometimes after years, sometimes after their health has been destroyed. What if it's not just the thyroid gland, but the immune system, constantly provoked by the implants.

First, honestly, what do we know for sure?

1. There is no proven, ironclad causal relationship, like, you put in implants, you get Hashimoto's. Medicine doesn't work like that.

2. There is a real, recurring pattern, women with implants report systemic symptoms that often overlap with Hashimoto's, fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, joint pain, anxiety, depression, swelling, weight fluctuations.

3. The regulator now recognizes it as a signal, even if it doesn't call it a diagnosis. The US Food and Drug Administration lists exactly these systemic symptoms as reported with all types of implants and says they can appear from immediately to years later.

This is important. It's not a Facebook legend, it's an official position that there are reports and that there is a problem that is being monitored.

How does this relate to Hashimoto's?

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune process. It's not just low hormones. It's an immune system that attacks the thyroid gland, often years before hormones drop dramatically.

The implant is a foreign body. The body creates a capsule around it, this is chronic contact between tissue and material. In some people this remains local, in others it turns into systemic inflammation, in still others it triggers autoimmunity or worsens an existing one. This is logic, not magic.

Dr. Isabella Wentz, why she's important and what she says

Izabella Wentz is a pharmacist known online as Thyroid Pharmacist and is one of the most recognizable voices in the Hashimoto’s world. She works primarily with patients with thyroid problems and has written extensively about the so-called root causes that fuel autoimmune inflammation. In her article on implants and Hashimoto’s, she says directly that the toxicity and biotoxicity associated with implants can trigger an autoimmune response, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, especially in those who are genetically predisposed. She doesn’t claim that it’s 100 percent for everyone. She says that for some women, it’s the missing piece.

Real women, real words

This is where the theoretical debates end, because the human stories begin. These are short quotes, exactly as they appear in the media.

1) A woman who literally prepared herself for death

In a Business Insider article, a woman named Christin Quiette says, “I wrote letters to my girls and made a will because I thought I was dying and I didn’t know why.” The same article says that at one point she was told she had symptoms of Hashimoto’s. It’s a classic for many women, symptoms like autoimmune, no one gets the cause, they end up labeling you or leaving you to get better.

2) A woman who was 28, with a box of medicine like a grandmother

In the same article, Michelle Rendon says, “I was 28 and had a box of more medication than most grandmothers.” It’s the typical scenario, symptom by symptom, medication by medication, with no clear answer as to why the body is falling apart.

3) Michelle Visage, candid about implants and Hashimoto's

She's spoken publicly about her battle with Hashimoto's and her decision to have her implants removed. She says, "I don't regret it. I loved my implants... But if you go down that road, be informed, be prepared... It might not happen to you, but you need to know that it can." This is powerful because it's not coming from someone who hates plastic surgery. It's coming from a woman who was pro-plastic and still paid the price.

4) Karissa Pukas, the feeling of living in a 90-year-old's body

She was quoted in Allure as saying that the implants made her feel “like I was living in a 90-year-old’s body.” And she describes years of brain fog, hair loss, fatigue, pain, until she had them removed. There’s no Hashimoto’s by name here, but the picture is the same. The symptoms are often the same, no matter what label you get.

Why is medicine dragging on?

Because it's a gray area. The symptoms are real, but they're scattered, there's no one test that turns red and says the implants are to blame. And so many doctors go with the easiest route, either denial, or reassurance, or psychology.

The problem is that the US Food and Drug Administration is now requiring stronger risk awareness, including systemic symptoms, and is introducing a patient checklist. In other words, even the regulator is saying - "this is not a joke, inform women."

And what does the scientific data say?

There are publications that find associations between implants and certain autoimmune and rheumatological diagnoses without proving causality. For example, MD Anderson Cancer Center reported associations in a large analysis of long-term data, explicitly stating that a causal relationship has not been established.

There are also reviews that emphasize that the evidence is mixed, the methodologies are different, and that the topic is still being clarified. This means that science is still catching up with reality, and women do not have the luxury of waiting 15 years for a consensus to fall apart.

When do implants become suspicious in Hashimoto's?

If you have Hashimoto's and several of these things at the same time, implants are not a minor detail, but a potential factor:

- symptoms that are not explained by TSH alone

- antibodies that do not fall despite treatment and regimen

- brain fog, fatigue, aches, swelling that linger

- new allergies, rashes, dry eyes, strange reactions

- worsening after implant placement, or years afterward, without any other clear cause

I'm not saying it's 100 percent. I'm saying if you ignore it, you might miss the cause.

What to do if you want a realistic plan

1. Gather the facts of your case
When were the implants placed, when did the symptoms start, when was the Hashimoto's diagnosis made, how do the antibodies move, how does TSH move, how do you respond to treatment.

2. Talk to an endocrinologist, but also a surgeon who has experience with explant
This is where it gets tricky. Not every surgeon is on your side, and not everyone is qualified to perform adequate removal.

3. Don't do heroics alone.
If you decide to remove it, do so in an informed manner, with a clear assessment of the risks and benefits.

4. Keep your mouth shut about the guilt you feel about having implants.
Many women beat themselves up for having it done. The reality is that they have been convinced en masse that it is safe and done.

Finale, the harsh conclusion

Hashimoto's is often a convenient label that closes the topic. You take hormones and keep quiet. But for some women, the problem is not just the thyroid gland, the problem is that the immune system is constantly provoked and the implants may be the fuel.

And here Dr. Isabella Wentz is helpful because she says what many doctors don't dare say, that if you have implants, Hashimoto's, and a feeling that something is missing, there is a real chance that the implants are part of the cause.

This is an informational text, not a diagnosis and does not replace a doctor.