Christina Applegate Questions Whether Implants Are Linked to Symptoms

Applegate said the idea arose after someone showed her a study about symptoms associated with breast implants that can overlap with those of MS. “I swear, over the last five years or whatever, I thought, ‘What if they’re leaking and they’re like poisoning me’?” she said, adding that she may need the implants replaced.

The actress said she continues to experience mobility problems, joint pain and fatigue. On the podcast, she said she could not lift her right arm and did not know what was causing the pain in her joints. Getting out of bed can take several minutes because of the pain. Doctors are restarting the diagnostic process and testing for conditions that can mimic MS symptoms.

Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021 and announced the diagnosis publicly that August. In October, she disclosed that she had been misdiagnosed. She said she was not elated by the news: she felt confused after years spent learning about MS and building a community around the condition, while her symptoms continued.

Her breast implants followed a double mastectomy in 2008, after an MRI detected early-stage breast cancer and testing showed she carried a breast cancer gene. Applegate, then 36, chose surgery rather than radiation. She later underwent breast reconstruction. In 2009, she said she missed her former breasts and was still adjusting to the implants, though she joked that she would have “cute” breasts until she was 90.

Implants do not automatically need replacement after a fixed period, but doctors generally recommend considering it after 10 to 20 years. Rupture, deflation, capsular contracture, infection or pain may also prompt replacement. Applegate described her concern as a theory she intends to explore with her doctors, not an established cause of her symptoms.