Pregnant? Just check that tattoo

Priya Sachdeva is worried. The pregnant 27-year-old has been making hurried calls to her gynecologist. “I have been freaking out since I heard the news.” The news being, that now, even tattoos could spell some trouble for would-be mothers. But what’s the issue?

It’s a question doctors are grappling with: Is it safe to stick a needle through a tattoo in the lower back for an epidural — a painkilling injection that eases the discomfort of labour?

Be it Angelina Jolie’s multiple exotic tattoos, or Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler’s edgy, racy ones, tattoos have just refused to fade away. And, recent years have just seen an explosion of lower-back tattoos in women — tattoos that take up space near the vertebrae where epidural needles are usually inserted.

Says Dr Duru Shah, director, Gynaec World: “It’s nothing to be alarmed about. But one needs to take the necessary precautions. A little bit of the dyed skin may enter the spinal region (when an injection is administered). This may cause inflammation and neurological problems. To prevent that, the doctor should make an incision in the skin. In that case, the injection will not go through the skin. The other way: avoid the tattoo when you are administering the injection.”

Sachdeva breathes in relief: “That’s what my gynecologist said. She told me that they would go around the curves in my skin and somehow make sure that the injection doesn’t travel through the tattoo.”

Tattoos have also known to cause infection and diseases, such as hepatitis, if unsterile equipment is used. In 2002, actress Pamela Anderson was alleged to have contracted hepatitis C while sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband, rocker Tommy Lee. Recently, there have been reports of tattooed patients getting burned during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as inks could contain metals.

Explains Dr Bela Kedia, gynaecologist at Wockhardt Hospital: “We never know what kind of dye is used. If the dye is lead based, then it may be very harmful. The doctor has to be very, very careful while administering the injection.”

Despite the hazards, the fad is getting hotter. Says Sameer, who runs Craayonz studio in Bandra: “On a scale of 1 to 10, almost 5 women get the tattoo on their lower back. In a month, I tattoo around 20 women who want it at that particular point.”

Agrees Hakim Alim’s tattoo artist Vishwas: “Last month I tattooed almost 25 women on the lower back. It’s a hot thing right now.”