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Is it Safe to Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?
Being pregnant is an important time in your life. You’re preparing to become a parent and are responsible for the life growing inside of you. Most women veer away from activities considered high-risk during pregnancy. But what’s considered high-risk isn’t always black and white.
Tattoos are a grey area when it comes to pregnancy. There’s a lack of research on the topic, with there being no definite rule about its safety.
Risks Associated with Getting Tattooed While Pregnant
There are some known risks of getting a tattoo, and some of those risks can cause major complications in pregnant women. You should be aware of these risks before deciding to get a tattoo while pregnant.
Infection. One of the main risks of being tattooed is the chance of an infection. If your tattoo artist uses contaminated or dirty needles, you could be at risk of getting bloodborne infections, such as hepatitis B. A mother with hepatitis B can easily pass on the infection to her baby at birth. Babies with hepatitis B have a 90% chance of developing a lifelong infection, and one in four of them will die of health complications from the infection if it is left untreated .
Other bloodborne infections, like hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), can also be contracted from unsterile tattoo needles. There is a 6% chance of a mother with hepatitis C passing on the infection to her child. Without treatment, the chance of a mother with HIV passing on the infection to her child can range from 15% to 45%.
Toxic tattoo inks. Even though the average tattoo needle is only poked ⅛ of an inch into the skin, some tattoo ink contains heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, and lead.
These ingredients can pose a threat to your developing baby, particularly in the first trimester when the main organs are developing. Exposure to heavy metals can affect your baby’s brain development. It can also increase your chances of having a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Skin changes during pregnancy. When you are pregnant, your body is constantly growing and changing to accommodate the baby inside. Depending on where you get a tattoo, your ink might not look the same after you’ve given birth and your body has healed.
Your skin can change in other ways as well. Melasma, or temporary darkening of the skin, and increased skin sensitivity is common in pregnancy and can affect how your tattoo looks or how you react to being tattooed.
Inability to receive epidurals. You’ve probably heard the rumor that women with a lower back tattoo can’t get an epidural, but there is little evidence to support this claim. Complications of getting an epidural with a lower back tattoo are rare.
In some cases, a lower back tattoo may cause problems. If your tattoo appears to have red, scaly skin or is infected, leaking fluid, or still healing, your doctor would likely not give you an epidural.
Calm any anxiety you might have on this topic by talking to your doctor. They’re the best person to guide you through this process.
Getting Inked While Pregnant
If you want to get a tattoo while pregnant, do your research and find a reputable shop before booking an appointment. Many artists won’t tattoo on pregnant women, so be sure to inform the shop and your artist ahead of time to avoid any last-minute issues.
Here are some things to keep in mind or ask to ensure that you are getting tattooed safely:
- Make sure the tattoo parlor you choose is clean and reputable. Read online reviews and talk to people who have gotten tattoos there. Ask them about their experiences and if they had any concerns.
- In the U.S., check for any state laws and tattoo parlor regulations and make sure the shop you choose is following those laws.
- Ask your artist if their ink contains any heavy metals. If it does, it’s best to wait it out until you give birth.
- Ask your artist what sterilization procedures they use and how often they’re done. Sterilization machines, called autoclaves, should be used in any tattoo parlor. Sterilized bags containing needles should be opened in front of clients.
- Inspect the general cleanliness of the shop when you arrive. Take note of any unsanitary conditions, like a dirty floor or an artist reusing latex gloves. Surfaces should be wiped down regularly.
- Consider the placement of your tattoo. Avoid getting your tattoo on the stomach or hip area. The skin in those areas stretches a lot during pregnancy, which could distort your new ink later on.
- Take proper care of your tattoo afterward, and keep it clean to avoid infection and complications. Contact a doctor if you see any signs of a rash or infection.
Getting a tattoo is an important decision, and when you are pregnant, this decision can affect not only you but also your baby. Before you get a tattoo while pregnant, think about all the potential risks and find out ways you can get a tattoo safely.
Show Sources
CDC: “Protect Your Baby for Life.”
CDC: “REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND THE WORKPLACE”
European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology: “Can a Mother Get a Tattoo During Pregnancy or While Breastfeeding”
Everyday Health: “10 Ways Pregnancy Changes Your Skin.”
Hep: “Tattoos and Hepatitis C: What Are the Risks?”
Hepatitis B Foundation: “Know the Risk: Transmission Through Tattoos & Piercings.”
The Hepatitis C Trust: “Mother to baby.”
La Presse Medicale: “Tattoo and epidural analgesia: Rise and fall of a myth.”
Mayo Clinic: “Labor and delivery, postpartum care.”
Mayo Clinic: “Tattoos: Understand risks and precautions.”
Can You Get a Tattoo While Pregnant?
Sarah Garone, NDTR, is a freelance health and wellness writer who runs a food blog.
Updated on June 14, 2021
Carlina Teteris / Getty Images
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
While tattoos were once a rarity among women, in recent years it has become increasingly common—even trendy—for ladies to sport ink. According to a 2017 survey, 33% of women reported having a tattoo. If you’re among the one in three who’ve gotten a tat, or if you’ve always thought of doing so, there’s one condition that may bring your inky dreams to a halt: pregnancy.
Wondering about the rules around getting a tattoo during your nine months of baby-making? Here’s what you need to know.
Safety of Getting Inked During Pregnancy
There are plenty of valid reasons you may want to get a tattoo during pregnancy. Maybe you’d like to commemorate this special time in your life with a permanent physical reminder. Or perhaps you had planned to get a tat, only to be surprised by a positive pregnancy test. But is it safe to go ahead with a baby in your belly? Possibly—but doing so comes with significant risks.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, the biggest concern about getting a tattoo during pregnancy is the risk of contracting an infection, like hepatitis B or HIV. Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that can not only make you very ill, but can also be transmitted to your baby at birth.
Ninety percent of babies who contract hepatitis B develop lifelong, chronic infection. One in four children with untreated, chronic hepatitis will eventually die of related health problems. Likewise, HIV transmits from mother to child in about 15 to 45% of cases. This virus compromises the immune system and can cause failure to thrive in children.
Another potential issue is an adverse reaction to the contents in the tattoo needle.
“We know that some people respond to the dyes and the metals in the tattoo dye and can have allergic reactions or infections,” said OB/GYN Lauren Demosthenes, MD, Senior Medical Director at Babyscripts. “We would hate for you to have to deal with an infection or allergic reaction while pregnant.”
Plus, according to the American Pregnancy Association, the risks that chemicals in tattoo dyes pose to your unborn baby are unknown.
Guidelines If You’re Getting a Tattoo
If you’ve been bitten by the tattoo bug and have decided to keep your appointment at the parlor while pregnant, it’s imperative to follow certain safety guidelines.
“We know that a reputable tattoo parlor is essential—although rare, infections like hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV can be transmitted through poor hygiene with anything involving needles,” Demosthenes said.
Be sure to vet your parlor by making sure your tattoo artist is licensed in your state. Do a bit of homework ahead of time to ensure the facility uses disposable, single-use gloves and needles, as well as sterile dressings. And don’t be afraid to ask about the frequency and thoroughness of sanitation procedures.
Back Tattoos and Epidurals
Since the back is such a broad canvas for tattoo art, it’s a common spot to get inked. But a back tattoo may spell trouble for getting an epidural during delivery.
“Some anesthesiologists will not place an epidural through a tattoo on your back,” Demosthenes noted.
However, with a little research, you should be able to determine ahead of time whether your hospital or birthing center performs epidurals over back tattoos, and, if not, what other options are available to you.
As for the safety of getting an epidural with ink on your back, Demosthenes said it’s essentially a non-issue: “Most of the evidence is that it is safe to have an epidural with a back tattoo, so there’s little to worry about there.”
What If I Already Have Tattoos?
If you’ve already gotten tattoos prior to pregnancy, you may have concerns about whether your existing ink has any impact on your growing baby.
“For someone who already has a tattoo and is pregnant, the good news is, there’s very little to no risk,” Demosthenes said.
The primary issue you may deal with is changes to your skin during the nine months, she added. “Your tattoo image may become distorted as your skin stretches during pregnancy, depending on where your tattoo is.”
A Word From Verywell
In the end, the decision of whether to tat up during pregnancy is, of course, up to you. But according to experts, it’s wise to err on the side of caution.
“Although the risks are likely very low, we just don’t have the evidence to say that there is no risk,” Demosthenes said. If you choose to breastfeed, “the best thing to do is to plan your tattoo after you have finished breastfeeding.”
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- Statista: How Many Tattoos Do You Have? https://www.statista.com/statistics/721567/number-of-tattoos-united-states/ Dec 12 2019. American Pregnancy Association: Tattoos During Pregnancy. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/is-it-safe/tattoos-1178 May 1 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Protect Your Baby for Life. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/pdfs/hepbperinatal-protectwhenpregnant.pdf Jan 2020. World Health Organization: Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV. https://www.who.int/hiv/topics/mtct/en/
By Sarah Garone
Sarah Garone, NDTR, is a freelance health and wellness writer who runs a food blog.
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