The recommendation to avoid getting a new body piercing during pregnancy stems from multiple health and safety concerns for both the individual and the developing fetus. A fresh piercing creates an open wound, immediately introducing potential risks the body is less equipped to handle during gestation. Physiological changes during pregnancy affect the body’s response to trauma and infection. Health professionals and reputable piercers advise postponing any new piercings until after childbirth.
Elevated Risk of Systemic Infection
The most serious concern with a new piercing is the danger of infection, which is compounded during pregnancy. Localized infections can quickly progress to a systemic issue, potentially leading to sepsis, a life-threatening complication. Maternal fever or systemic infection poses a risk to the fetus, sometimes causing preterm birth or other complications.
While reputable parlors adhere to strict sterilization protocols, exposure to bloodborne pathogens like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV is possible if sterile procedures are compromised. The body’s natural immune response is slightly suppressed during pregnancy—an adaptation that prevents the mother’s body from rejecting the fetus. This suppression makes the individual more susceptible to infections, meaning a minor infection can become more aggressive and harder to clear.
Treating an infection during pregnancy presents a challenge due to limited therapeutic options. Many common antibiotics are not safe for use, especially during the first trimester, due to potential effects on fetal development. Health care providers must carefully weigh treatment necessity against medication safety, often restricting choices to less potent antibiotics. This constraint elevates the risk associated with any infected wound.
Pregnancy’s Impact on Wound Healing
Beyond the threat of infection, physiological changes of pregnancy impede the natural wound healing process. A new piercing is a controlled wound requiring inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling to heal properly. Pregnancy introduces factors that disrupt this sequence, prolonging the healing time.
Increased blood volume and fluid retention, known as edema, are common during gestation, which causes swelling in the body’s tissues. This swelling can place excessive pressure on the new piercing site, leading to irritation, discomfort, and potentially causing the jewelry to become too tight. The mild immunosuppression inherent to pregnancy also slows the body’s ability to mount a robust defense against bacteria, meaning the initial inflammatory phase of healing is less efficient.
The combined effect of swelling and reduced immune function means a piercing takes significantly longer to heal, making it vulnerable to irritation, migration, or rejection for an extended period. The hormonal fluctuations also affect the skin’s elasticity and overall condition, further complicating the delicate process required for a piercing to settle without complications. This extended vulnerability period increases the likelihood of chronic irritation or infection throughout the pregnancy.
Guidelines for Existing Piercings and Future Timing
For individuals with existing, fully healed piercings, the primary considerations shift to managing physical changes and planning for delivery and postpartum care. Piercings in areas affected by significant physical changes, such as naval (belly button) piercings, often need to be removed as the abdomen expands. The stretching skin can cause irritation, migration, or tearing. Flexible jewelry, such as those made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), can sometimes be used to accommodate the growing belly, but removal is often the most comfortable option.
Nipple Piercings and Future Timing
Nipple piercings require special attention, particularly if the individual plans to breastfeed. The jewelry must be removed before delivery and feeding to eliminate the risk of it becoming a choking hazard for the infant or interfering with a proper latch. Removal also reduces the theoretical risk of bacteria from the piercing site traveling into the milk ducts.
Many recommend waiting to get a new piercing until the body has fully recovered from childbirth and the postpartum period, typically a minimum of three months after delivery. For nipple piercings, the recommended waiting period is even longer. A new piercing is advised only after lactation has stopped for at least three months to ensure proper healing and immune function recovery.