Actor Christina Applegate, 54, says she is exploring whether her breast implants could be linked to her pain and fatigue after learning she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) — the diagnosis she received in 2021.
On the Nov. 10 episode of MeSsy, the podcast she co-hosts with actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate, who first gained fame as a teen in the hit sitcom Married With Children, said someone had recently sent her a study describing breast implant-related symptoms as resembling MS.
“I swear, over the last five years or whatever, I thought, ‘What if they’re leaking and they’re poisoning me?’” she said, noting she plans to discuss the possibility with her doctors.
Applegate underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction in 2008 after being diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer and testing positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation, which carries a higher risk of breast and other cancers. On her podcast, she said she was “way overdue” to have her implants replaced.
She has also described worsening pain and difficulty moving her right shoulder, saying it can take her at least 10 minutes to sit up and get out of bed. Those symptoms, she said, are overwhelming because “there’s so many different things that could be going on.”
Her search comes after doctors told her in October that she does not have MS. At the time, Applegate said the news left her back at “Square 1,” her physical struggles have continued and she’s undergoing testing for other possible explanations, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Lyme disease.
While the cause of Applegate’s symptoms remains unknown, breast implants have been associated with illness in some cases, though the condition is not well understood.
What is known about breast implant illness
Breast implant illness, or BII, is a term for symptoms reported by some people with implants, including fatigue, cognitive changes, joint pain and muscle pain. This photo shows a Biocell textured breast implant by Allergan. (Nicolas Amaya/CBC)
Breast implant illness, or BII, is a term for symptoms reported by some people with implants.
As of Dec. 31, 2025, Health Canada had received 663 reports of symptoms or diseases associated with breast implants — about one report for every 1,025 implants sold in Canada.
Fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom, followed by mood changes, gastrointestinal symptoms and cognitive changes. These are reports, not confirmed cases: Health Canada says the available information cannot establish whether implants caused the symptoms, which may have other causes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says BII is not a formal medical diagnosis and has no specific test. Reports of symptoms such as fatigue and joint problems cannot establish how often they occur or whether implants caused them.
Julie Elliott, a Canadian breast implant illness and implant-associated cancer advocate with the Breast Implant Safety Alliance who says she experienced health problems after breast augmentation, told CBC News that some symptoms reported by people with implants can overlap with MS symptoms.
“Chronic fatigue, changes in memory, concentration problems, numbness, tingling, nerve pain, muscle weakness, hair loss and so on — I mean, these are similar to MS symptoms,” Elliott said.
But she cautioned against concluding that Applegate’s implants are responsible. “I’m not saying that Christina Applegate’s breast implants are responsible for her symptoms,” she said, adding that it would be “premature and irresponsible” to assume they explain them.
“Similar symptoms do not necessarily mean the same diagnosis,” Elliott said. “Nothing should be overlooked or ruled out without being properly medically investigated.”
Christina Applegate, left, arrives for the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Century City, California, on Feb. 26, 2023. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images)
Dr. Stephen Nicolaidis, a Montreal plastic surgeon who says he’s seen more than 1,500 patients for implant removal, also emphasized the need to investigate other possible causes.
He described BII as a “diagnosis of exclusion,” where patients “have to be evaluated thoroughly, and then if they don’t find something else as the cause, you should consider the possibility that the implants might be contributing to the problems.”
Nicolaidis said symptoms he commonly hears about include fatigue, hair loss, skin rashes, breathing difficulties, joint and muscle pain, sleep problems and brain fog. Some can overlap with symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions.
Referencing Applegate’s publicly described symptoms, he said, “Those symptoms that she had can very much be attributable to her breast implants.” But the cause of BII is not established, and he said researchers do not yet have definitive answers about how implants might contribute to symptoms.
There is no specific test that can diagnose BII, Nicolaidis said. Imaging may show silicone outside an implant, but he said that finding is not required for someone to report symptoms. He also stressed that BII is different from implant-associated lymphoma, a cancer linked to certain textured implants.
Rupture, removal and next steps
A rupture or leak is a separate concern from BII. The FDA lists rupture and deflation among possible implant complications and advises patients to discuss new or unusual breast changes with a health-care provider.
Similarly, Health Canada advises people with implants to check regularly for unusual breast changes and discuss signs or symptoms with their doctor. Decisions about keeping, replacing or removing implants should be made with a clinician after considering individual symptoms, possible causes and surgical risks, the agency said.
It does not recommend preventive implant removal because surgery carries risks, and advises people experiencing symptoms to discuss them with a health-care provider.
Nicolaidis advised people with symptoms to seek a thorough medical evaluation. He said if other causes are not found, they can discuss whether implants might be contributing and weigh options with their clinicians.
He stopped placing breast implants in 2021 because he came to believe their risks outweighed their benefits in many cases, and now focuses largely on implant removal. He adds that removal is not a guaranteed cure. Nicolaidis said some patients he has treated with MS reported only slight improvement, and people with a diagnosed autoimmune disease may still need medical treatment after removal, known as explant surgery.
Elliott said she believes implant-related symptoms should be taken seriously, while acknowledging that their causes are not fully understood. She urged patients to seek balanced, evidence-based information and keep track of changes in their health.
“The fact that we do not have all the answers does not mean women’s experiences should be dismissed,” she said.
Leave a Reply