Piercing and pregnancy

The following piercing and pregnancy information will help you take care of any piercing you already have and help you make an informed decision about any maternity piercing you may consider going forward.

A word of warning: Women are advised not to pierce their belly button, nipples, or genitals while pregnant or while trying to conceive, due to the physical changes that are taking place in your body during this time. As the breasts and abdomen grow, the holes do not heal completely and often become larger and more susceptible to infection.

Women should avoid abdominal and nipple piercings during pregnancy.

Comfort becomes paramount! If you already have a completely healed piercing and are comfortable with it, there is no medical reason to remove your jewelry. As the belly and chest grow, jewelry can cling to clothing and other materials, stretch, or interfere with the skin.

You can remove it and replace it with clean fishing line or polytetrafluoroethylene (soft plastic used for surgical implants) jewelry.

Notify your professional piercer

It is important to report this to the piercer for any of the following reasons:

For suggestions for hole care, pull/tear prevention, infection prevention, or other recommendations.
If you notice any changes in your piercing or want to learn more about polytetrafluoroethylene jewelry

To make sure they have followed and continue to follow the service provider's instructions below.

Tell your piercer if you are pregnant.

What are some recommendations for piercing studios?

Here are the piercing and pregnancy guidelines you should use to evaluate a studio when considering a piercing:

A registered piercing studio
New sterile gloves must be worn for each procedure
Must have an autoclave sterilizing unit to sterilize equipment
All floors and surfaces must be clean and sterilized
Must use single-use, disposable needles only
All dressings must be sterile packed and unopened
All jewelry used for piercing must be sterile packed and unopened
You should be able to contact your professional piercer, at any time, for at least the first 24 hours after piercing

When should I take off my jewelry?

You should remove jewelry if:

Your piercing never healed properly you can still pierce it after pregnancy
Your hole is watery, pussy is inflamed, red or irritated
You have nipple piercings and are breastfeeding; this presents a choking hazard and increases the risk of infection

Are there health risks from piercings during pregnancy?

Yes, there are health risks. Infection is very common when piercings are not cared for properly. The use of non-sterile instruments or supplies can lead to hepatitis B or hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.