Yahoo Lifestyle Can You Get A Tattoo While Pregnant? Doctors Share The Truth
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What’s on your pregnancy checklist? We're going to guess it looks a little something like this: Take a prenatal vitamin, schedule your ultrasound visit, buy a car seat, avoid telling people the name you’ve chosen for your baby so they won’t criticize it right to your face, get a tattoo to commemorate this momentous occasion ... oh, wait. Can you get a tattoo while pregnant?
Tattoos are really common. A 2023 Pew Research report found that 33% of Americans have a tattoo, and 22% have gotten inked more than once. About 41% of people under 30 had at least one, and nearly half (46%) between ages 30 and 49 said the same.
Some 41% of those under 30 have at least one, as do 46% of those ages 30 to 49.
So it makes sense that some may be people who are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant. However, is getting a new tattoo while you’re pregnant a good idea? Keep reading.
Can You Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?
It’s hard to say definitively whether it’s safe or not to get a tattoo during pregnancy. “We just don’t have any research about tattoos in pregnancy,” says Dr. Maram Said, DO and OB/GYN at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.
However, as Dr. Tracy Shevell, MD, cautions, “There are some real concerns with tattooing during this time.”
As a high-risk OB/GYN in Connecticut who connects with patients through Sesame, Dr. Shevell says one of her primary concerns about tattoos during pregnancy is the possibility of infection. An infection could occur if a tattoo artist does not use properly sterilized needles during the procedure—or reuses needles, which can raise the risk of spreading a blood-borne illness like hepatitis C or even HIV.
Hepatitis can not only affect your liver function, according to Dr. Said, but it can affect how your OB/GYN manages your labor. If the laboring mother has hepatitis, they can’t place monitors on the baby’s head because of the risk of transmission. Your baby may also need additional medical care and monitoring.
It's also worth noting that just about every state has enacted laws that impact the licensing and operation of tattoo parlors to reduce or prevent exposure to blood-borne diseases. However, they vary from state to state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). You may want to check with your state's laws to learn more about how body art safety is regulated, including requirements for universal precautions, the use of sterilized, single-use needles and sterilization of non-disposable equipment.
“More commonly, the skin can become infected from bacteria acquired as the needle passes through the skin, just like a cut or wound,” Dr. Shevell says. “Usually, this is superficial, but if it gets more severe, it can require the use of antibiotics, and in rare cases, the infection can spread to the blood, which can definitely harm the baby.”
“We generally worry about things like a severe risk of allergy,” adds Dr. Said. You could have an allergic reaction to the tattoo ink, for example.
Related: What People Who Inject Drugs Should Know about Hepatitis C Treatment Options
If you’re concerned about the risks and unsure how to proceed, consult your healthcare provider.
“In my honest clinical guidance, I would tell a woman that I would really prefer that you put it off because of the risk of infection and possibly the risk of having an allergic reaction,” Dr. Said says.
Consider the Effects of Pregnancy on Your Tattoos
Something else to keep in mind: Your body changes quite a lot during pregnancy. People carry differently. Besides your growing belly, you may notice you have larger breasts as your body readies for the possibility of nursing. Swollen legs, ankles and faces aren't uncommon, especially later in pregnancy. There's no shame in any of that.
After you deliver your baby, the skin that expanded as your belly grew may or may not return to some version of "normal." Depending on its location and your weight gain, any existing tattoos may stretch and expand, too. Additionally, you might have some stretch marks or some wrinkled skin where your skin was once smooth and taut (or taut-er). Those can mar the appearance of a tattoo, as well.
“If you are considering doing something permanent to your body, I’ll usually point out that something very permanent is happening to your body right now,” Dr. Shevell says. “Actually, so many things are happening that you probably don’t want to think too much about them. But if you want to make a written or photographic statement of beauty, I’d suggest holding off."
Everyone's mileage varies, but you may not want a stretched-out tattoo during the postpartum phase and beyond. So, ultimately, it might just be better to wait to get a new tattoo until after you deliver your baby and your body begins to reach a new normal.
A good rule of thumb: Consider waiting until around the three-month mark after birth, says Dr. Shevell. By then, Dr. Shevell says your skin may have returned to where it was pre-baby. “If not, however long it takes, it takes. Try to favor choosing flat areas, like wrists or ankles, which may not change as much.”
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Related: Dealing with Weird Dark Patches? Melasma May Be the Culprit—Here’s What To Know
Sources:
32% of Americans have a tattoo, including 22% who have more than one. Pew Research Center.
National Conference of State Legislatures. Tattooing and Body Piercing | State Laws, Statutes and Regulations.
Maram Said, DO.
Tracy Shevell, MD.
