The safety of breast implants has been a controversial issue since 1990, when a Congressional hearing revealed that no studies of human beings had ever been done before the implants were sold to more than one million women. Much has been written on all sides of the issue, and many patients, future patients, and the public are left wondering where the truth lies. The National Research Center for Women & Families will provide accurate, reliable information and analysis in the weeks and months ahead, as new reports and research continue to be released and to influence women's decisions as well as government and medical policies.

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     Here are the most recent articles we have written,
and links to other websites with additional information.

. Government Studies Link Breast Implants to Cancer, Lung Diseases, and Suicide May 2001 Ruptured Silicone Breast Implants Linked to Debilitating Diseases July 2001 Important Facts About Breast Implants May 2001 Calling for Informed Consent on Silicone Gel Implants or an End to Sales March 2001 Breast Surgery Likely to Cause Breastfeeding Problems December 2000 Do Breast Implants Cause Disease: A Review of the Studies Included in the Recent Meta-Analysis August 2000 FDA Study Shows That Most Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Rupture July 2000 Women Can't Count On the FDA Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2000 The Role of FDA on Breast Implants - Watchdog or Grandma? Knight Ridder newswire, May 2000 Local Complications of Saline Breast Implants June 2000 FDA Advisory Panel Reviews Safety of Saline Breast Implants March 2000 Are Breast Implants Safe For Cancer Patients? March 2000 Saline Implant Patients Who Testified Before the FDA, March 1, 2000 March 2000 Testimony of Diana Zuckerman at the March FDA Meeting March 2000 Summary of Studies of Saline Implants and Connective Tissue Diseases February 2000 Safety Data Are Lacking on Saline Breast Implants Los Angeles Times, December 1999 When The Subject is Breast Implants, How Much Information is Enough? Knight Ridder newswire, July 1999 One Woman's Experience Mary McDonough Fact Sheet on the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants June 1999 A Review of the IOM Report June 1999 The Ongoing Controversy About Breast Implants San Jose Mercury News, February 1999 The Second Coming of Breast Implants Iris Magazine, Winter/Spring 1999 .

FDA photographs of implant complications - FDA website with photographs of several implant complications.

FDA's Consumer Handbook on Breast Implants - "Breast Implants – An Information Update – 2000."

Women, Breasts, and the Failure of Informed Consent - Journal of the American Medical Women's Association (Fall 2000)

Prevalence of Rupture of Silicone Gel Breast Implants Revealed on MR Imaging - An article from the American Journal of Roentgenology, Sept 2000.

To read the exact transcript of the 3-day FDA Advisory Panel meeting on Saline Breast Implants, click the day you want to read first. It may take some time to view or download the file:

March 1, 2000

March 2, 2000

March 3, 2000

Important Research Needs Volunteers - Click to link to our women's health section, to read an announcement about an important new study on women's health.

Institute of Medicine - Click to link to the 1999 IOM report.

The FDA's Regulation of Silicone Breast Implants: A Staff Report Prepared by the Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Government Operations Committee, December 1992.

Breast Implants: What You Must Know - McCall's January 2001

 

Many thanks to Anne Stansell for her photograph entitled Silicone, the Sequel.  Ms. Stansell's photographs of explanted women reveal their strength and dignity. Contact Anne Stansell @ 312 Hathaway Circle Drive, Los Lunas, NM 87031 (USA) 505-865-5866 AnneStansell@juno.com

 

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