Tattoo on back

tufterween

Hi,

Am thinking of getting a tattoo down my back but have heard that getting a tattoo below the waist and above the thigh can result in women not being able to take an epidural during child birth. Just want to know if anyone has any experience with this or can say it is true or false.

Thanks guys

Pierced Off

Hi Tufterween, I know this topic has been discussed here before and it's one that always leads to disagreement. The thinking behind the rumor is that if you place the epidural needle through the ink, the dye in the skin may enter the epidural space and cause infection or damage. As we all know, tattoo ink should be sterile when entering the body and it will have healed therefor no longer be present in liquid form when the epidural is being performed. As a result there should be no problem passing an epidural needle through a tattoo.
The other consideration is damage to the tattoo. As I've said here before, I've had an epidural, not because of pregnancy but as a result of a crash, and I don't have any marks on my tattoo. The other consideration is most lower back tattoos are in fact lower down than the area where an epidural is performed so the issue may not even arise.

tufterween

Ok thanks a million Pierced Off... Really helpful!

Melion

OH has a tattoo on her lower back and got an epidural. No damage to the tattoo