Several types of reconstruction may be available to you. Following a mastectomy, reconstruction can be done either immediately (at the time of the mastectomy) or at a later date (many months or even years after). (There is usually no need for reconstruction after surgery less than mastectomy.) In either case, further procedures may be necessary in the months that follow—for example, placement of a nipple/ areolar complex, reduction of the other side to match the reconstructed one, and so forth.

Reconstruction has become more common, but remember that you do have another option: mastectomy alone. In some hospitals immediate reconstruction is the standard of care, and women are told in the same breath that “you need to have a mastectomy, but you can have reconstruction at the same time.” For many women, this may indeed be the best option, as they never have to deal with the total absence of a breast and do not have to make a decision to return in the future for more surgery. However, for others, this may be a mistake. You will find it hard to think clearly about these choices, some of which involve major surgery with long recoveries, while you are still trying to absorb the initial diagnosis of breast cancer. Remember that you can opt to take care of the cancer now, with a mastectomy, and then revisit the question of reconstruction next year or even five years from now.

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