Can You Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?

Everything You Need to Know About Can You Get a Tattoo While Pregnant? 

Can you get a tattoo while pregnant? that is a question that many women want the answer to. In terms of this, it is important to mention that while you are getting a tattoo, the entire procedure involves ink entering the body.

So, it is obvious that there is a chance of health issues to appear. After all, many of the ink dyes contain metal-centric chemicals or microcontaminants. And they result in some reactions.

So, when you are wondering about whether can you get tattoos while pregnant, you have to consider the risk carefully. And thereafter, take the right kind of safety measures. In this article, you will learn more about this.

So, when you consider whether you can get a tattoo while pregnant, you need to know more in-depth about the following matters.

Risks

Indeed, there are many risks when it comes to adding a tattoo to your body when you are pregnant. Not only do you have to worry about infections, but you also have to worry about pain, discomfort, and ink reactions.

For a proper understanding, the risks of a tattoo while pregnant are detailed hereafter.

1. Infection

This is the one and only issue that you would have to tackle most probably. As per the American Pregnancy Association, getting a tattoo opens you the possibility of contracting infections like Hepatitis B or HIV.

This, of course, is possible even if you are not pregnant. This is more likely to happen if you get the tattoo from an unreliable practitioner.

So, go to some artist who has the right certifications or license, as they would use proper tools. Plus, before getting a tattoo when pregnant, you should review the process they follow.

This would give you a better idea of what to look forward to, and see if they follow sterile rules.

2. The ink

While the procedure can be difficult, the ink itself may pose concerns of its own. As mentioned previously, many of such dyes hold metal types in this composition, like arsenic, mercury, and lead.

In terms of can you get a tattoo while pregnant, it is important to note that such metals are not safe for your body. Especially if you are in the first trimester, this would affect the development of your fetus.

Therefore, if you are going to get a tattoo anyway, make sure you do so after the second trimester begins.

3. Bacterial infection

Since the tattoo is essentially an open wound, one can get a bacterial infection easily. And if your immune system is weak nevertheless, that is even harder to handle.

Some of the symptoms you would notice if you have a bad infection are fever, chills, or shaking.

Physically, the area around the tattoo would showcase draining pus, yellow crusting, and inflammation. So, in terms of can pregnant women get tattoos, the answer is ‘risky’ in this scenario.

Plus, bacterial infections that come from this can start getting worse. And that would result in cellulitis, which is highly painful.

So, you need to get medical attention as soon as you notice any of the regular symptoms. In cellulitis, the infection would spread further in the bloodstream, causing bacteremia and then sepsis.

Not to mention, in many rare situations, this can turn into necrotizing fasciitis too. The soft tissue damages irreparably and you need quick medical attention.

Make sure to get a tattoo when pregnant safe and sound. Or, using antibiotics is necessary for you to handle the complications.

But most of the time, such medications are not great for pregnant women. Plus, some of the ink can affect the fetus and the mother in a long-term manner.

There are no reports available on either side of this situation, which means you cannot guess if it is good or bad. So, it is better to avoid getting a tattoo at this period at all.

4. Viral infection

Another possible risk of getting tattoos is getting more serious medical conditions like HIV. These pass via blood and the fetus may get affected by such conditions too.

Things to consider

In the case of can you get a tattoo while pregnant, the things that you should carefully look into are:

a. Permanence-

When you get a tattoo, it is a permanent addition to your body. And there is a chance that the ink would spread throughout the body. So, even if you remove it later, this is a point of concern.

b. Epidural-

Some women take epidural for pain relief during normal delivery. However, it is hard to say how much a tattoo near the lower-back region would affect that.

It is a worrying matter, but there are no obvious reports on its effects.

c. Underlying condition-

If you are wondering can you get a tattoo while pregnant, first check if you have any underlying health concerns.

That would allow them to have a higher likelihood of catching other, more serious infections. So, check with the doctor beforehand.

Safety measures

To get a tattoo safely while pregnant, properly checking every factor that goes into the process would help. Firstly, check if the tattooist has a license and note the cleanliness and hygiene of the area.

Inform the tattooist about you being pregnant, too. That way, they can either take necessary measures or inform you of the risks.

Check if the inks are FDA-approved and if every tool one is using, like needles and gloves, are sterilized and new. Also, the tattooist should use the inks in single-use cups for each client.

That would reduce the chance of them infecting a new customer with the previous person’s infections.

You should get the contact information of the person who did your tattoo. So, you can call later in case of any problems. Plus, having their contact beforehand would allow you to ask them your queries quicker.

All in all, when you are thinking about getting a tattoo during pregnancy, keeping these points in mind is important. You need to stay safe for you and your baby, so maintain extreme caution.