Question of the Week - Why Can't Pregnant or Nursing Women Get Tattoos?

Q: I was wondering why pregnant or nursing women shouldn't get a tattoo? What is the medical explanation?

A: If you are pregnant or nursing a child, everything that goes into your body also affects the baby. Everything from spicy food to drugs ends up in the placenta and your milk. When you get a tattoo (or a piercing) you are taking the risk of possible allergic reactions or infection that could potentially be passed on to your child. Your immune system is lowered and you become less able to protect the baby if your body is too busy trying to fight off an infection. Although the actual risk of this happening is small, why take the chance? To protect unborn children, nursing mothers and themselves, most studios have made it a policy not to perform tattoos or piercings on anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. It just isn't worth the risk when you can just wait a few extra months and then get the tattoo or piercing you desire.