A skin cancer check before pregnancy is helpful in order to know what your skin looks like before the changes and hormones involved with pregnancy. A ‘baseline’, if you like.
During and after pregnancy (including breastfeeding) a skin check is safe and actually advisable as the skin on many women changes in that period. This is due to physical stretch, but also the actions of the pregnancy hormones on skin pigment and moles.
There is no compelling evidence regarding the effect of pregnancy on the risk of melanoma development, but a skin check is utterly safe to do and may reveal changes that need monitoring.
The phrase: ‘if you do not look, you do not find’ is as true during pregnancy as at any other time….and your health is vital at this time and for looking after your new child in the future.