Sex Question: How Do I Get My Surgery To Be Covered By Insurance?

Dear Dr. H,

I was recently diagnosed (first self-diagnosed, then by a plastic surgeon) with tubular breasts, and I am looking into reconstructive surgery. I thought insurance would cover this, because it's a congenital deformity, but I've heard that it's almost impossible to get them to pay. Any suggestions on the best way to go about it? Also, I've heard that this can often affect the chances of breast feeding--is there any way to tell that in advance, or is it just a "wait and see" situation?

Read on for Dr. Hilda Hutcherson's response.

A. Breasts come in all shapes and sizes. When you have tubular breasts, your breasts tend to be smaller and more narrow (like a "tube"). Plastic surgeons may consider them a medical anomaly, but some other doctors--and your insurance company--may not agree. If you have a normal amount of glandular tissue (the tissue that produces milk)--and most women with tubular breasts do--you should be able to breastfeed. But plastic surgery for procedures like breast implants can sometimes impair breast feeding; my advice would be to speak to the plastic surgeon before you go under the knife about your desire to breastfeed one day.

Readers, do you have any questions about breasts? Let's talk about them here!