Is It Safe To Get A Tattoo While Pregnant?

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As a pregnant woman, you are already aware of the many rules you must comply with, including drinking only one cup of coffee a day, avoiding alcohol, avoiding hair dye, and avoiding retinol.

What about tattoos? Can you get a tattoo while pregnant? Is it safe? Let's take a look.

Is It Safe To Get A Tattoo While Pregnant?

There is no definitive rule regarding the safety of tattoos during pregnancy since there is little research on this subject. In addition, some of those risks can cause major complications for pregnant women. These risks are listed below [1][2]:

Infections: There is a high risk of infection when you are tattooed. If your tattoo artist uses contaminated or dirty needles, you are at risk of getting blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B. The infection can easily be transmitted to a baby by a mother who has hepatitis B.

The use of unsterile tattoo needles can also lead to the transmission of other blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Toxic tattoo inks: Despite the fact that the average tattoo needle is only inserted 18 millimetres into the skin, some tattoo inks contain heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, and lead.

Exposure to heavy metals can affect your developing baby's brain development and increase the chances of miscarriage or stillbirth [3].

Inability to receive an epidural: A lower back tattoo may prevent a woman from receiving an epidural, but little evidence supports this claim. In addition, complications associated with getting an epidural with a lower back tattoo are relatively rare.

Skin changes during pregnancy: During pregnancy, your body regularly grows and changes to accommodate the baby inside. It is possible that your tattoo will not look the same once you have given birth and your body has healed.

So, is it safe to get a tattoo when pregnant?

Experts tend to agree that getting a tattoo during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not recommended. In addition, most dermatologists and obstetricians advise against getting a tattoo during pregnancy [4].

A woman's body takes a toll during pregnancy, and the immune system may not function at its full potential, so getting a tattoo during pregnancy could be risky.

As well as safety risks, you should also consider the pain when getting your first tattoo. The level of pain you will experience depends on the location of the tattoo, and you may not wish to add more pain to your pregnancy [5].

Furthermore, there is insufficient data to determine whether or not getting a tattoo increases your risk of miscarrying. Nevertheless, both experts agree that getting a tattoo that results in a miscarriage is extremely rare, although it is possible to link the two if the tattoo results in a serious infection during pregnancy [6].

On A Final Note...

Getting a tattoo is an important decision; when you are pregnant, this decision can affect both you and your unborn child. Before you decide to get a tattoo, consider all the risks, and there are several ways to get a tattoo safely.

Additionally, it is recommended that you do not get a tattoo during your early pregnancy.