We need to talk about tattoos and periods

Our contributor Lucy wonders if you should ever get tattooed while you’re on your period… would you?

Tattoo by @hexenwerk_tattoos

Let me set the scene a little. It’s the very early hours of the morning before my first ever tattoo and I suddenly wake up feeling that oh so familiar cramping sensation in my abdomen, and as an individual who experiences severe dysmenorrhea (also known as debilitating period pain), I knew this was potentially very bad news. A wave of complete panic overcomes me, and I go straight to Google, trying to find every piece of advice available on ‘tattoos and periods’ while worrying I would have to cancel my booking at the last minute…

I came across a variety of advice telling me things like I shouldn’t take medication (like ibuprofen) before a tattoo, that periods make tattoo pain worse and that the general rule of thumb is ‘avoid getting tattooed on your period’.  After all my stressed-out research, I decided to do the sensible thing and wait until the morning to contact my tattoo artist and ask if I could take painkillers before my tattoo. I felt too embarrassed to be honest and say that I needed the medication for menstrual cramps, so I found myself lying and blaming it on ‘back pain’.

Luckily, my artist was happy for me to take some ibuprofen and while this stopped the period cramps it didn’t stop the fear I now had that my period would cause my first tattoo to be more painful than normal. 

Tattoo by @_hand_job_tattoo

Looking back on the experience now, I can say with certainty that, personally, my period did not affect my tattoo pain and that overall, my experience getting a tattoo while on my period was entirely normal. 

But this might not be the same for everyone, the ‘taboo’ nature of period discussion makes it so we fear talking about this normal part of life. Instead we retreat to Google which inevitably leads to us finding unsettling period and tattoo related horror stories and myths, causing stress and anxiety. We need to open the narrative on tattoos and periods to help make those who menstruate feel more comfortable and confident when in the tattoo chair on their period.

Tattoo by @carlabianchitattoos

To help start dispelling myths and opening up discussion, I’ve compiled a short list of some important things to know when getting a tattoo during your period:

  1. Be aware that some individuals who menstruate do experience heightened skin sensitivity. If you feel particularly worried about this, if possible, it may be best to book larger tattoos or tattoos in sensitive areas on days when you are not on your period, but smaller ones should be fine. Sensitive areas are more prone to period related inflammation, so they hold more potential to cause worse pain during your tattoo. 
  1. Always check with your artist when taking any kind of medication or herbal supplements before your tattoo. Ibuprofen and paracetamol have blood thinning properties that can cause your tattoo to bleed more and herbal supplements can sometimes affect the clotting process. A small amount of medication is usually fine, but always check with your artist.
  1. Make sure to bring extra sanitary products to your appointment and don’t be afraid to ask to use the toilet during your tattoo. Some people like to double-up on their protection before an appointment (e.g. using period underwear and a sanitary pad or tampon or using a heavier flow sanitary item for extra protection against leaks). 
  1. Finally, don’t let your period control your life! If you are experiencing painful cramps, extremely heavy flow, or other symptoms you feel are abnormal for you, it’s always best to seek medical advice, you don’t have to suffer in silence. Menstruating is normal and we shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of it. 
Tattoo by @lolweib_ink

Overall, always remember that it’s your body and your rules. While some people might entirely avoid getting tattooed during their period, others might not mind it at all, but by talking about it and being vocal we actively help to break the harmful stigma that surrounds periods. 

Words: Lucy Edwards, a 20-year-old tattooed university student, cat mum and trying-new-things enthusiast. You’ll most likely find Lucy posting about mental health awareness and self-acceptance on her Instagram.

Women with Tattoos

The gorgeous blog Women with Tattoos was started by digital producer and photographer Eleni Stefanou, 30, from London, a year ago. To celebrate we caught up with Eleni to find out more about her inspiration behind starting the blog and her own collection of tattoos…

Portrait of Eleni by Eftihia Stefanidi

Photographer Eleni started Women with Tattoos blog
to record the stories that may otherwise go unheard

Photograph by Eftihia Stefanidi


Women with Tattoos
is celebrating its first birthday, but what inspired you to start it? 
I was spending hours on Tumblr researching my first tattoo when I realised how one-dimensional the representation of women with tattoos was. It’s the kind of imagery you’d find in a lad’s mag – women dressed and photographed to gratify the male gaze. Around the same time, a study came out revealing that, for the first time in recorded history, tattooed women outnumbered tattooed men. That’s pretty fascinating, yet mainstream culture wasn’t reflecting and exploring this shift. Women with Tattoos was an attempt to record some of the stories that may go unheard and to offer beautiful images that women could identify with.

Describe the blog in one sentence…
I think of it as a visual love letter to tattooed women.

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Anne

How has it evolved over the first year? It’s hopefully become more diverse in its representation of women from different backgrounds. I’ve also focused a bit more on the artistry of tattooing, by interviewing female tattoo artists and linking to portfolios when crediting the artists behind the featured tattoos. On a more general level, I’ve slowed down quite a bit. I used to do photo shoots almost every weekend, and while I loved it, it was becoming exhausting alongside my full-time job. I had to remind myself that this was something I was doing in my own time for my own enjoyment and that any pressure I felt was self-inflicted.

Gabriella

Gabriella

Who has been your most stand-out portrait, why? There’s a photo I took of a woman called Gabriella, which is really hypnotic. We were in Camley Street Natural Park, this beautiful nature reserve hidden away in a busy part of London. Gabriella has a beautiful botanical tattoo by Saira Hunjan down the length of her arm. It includes a lemon, butterfly, bluebells and other flowers and there’s lots of negative space around these elements, so it’s not your typical sleeve. Ironically, her tattoos aren’t that visible in this photo, but I kind of love that they’re subtle and blend in with the nature around her. First you see Gabriella, the person, then you see her tattoos.

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Laurence

What have you learnt while shooting these portraits? I’ve learnt that most people feel quite vulnerable when they’re being photographed. As someone who spends a lot of energy avoiding the lens, I can completely relate to this. So I try and adapt my approach depending on the person. Some of the women like to talk a lot in between shooting, while others prefer to listen to music.

I’ve also found that photography can be an empowering experience for many women. One of the most common feelings they express when I reveal their portraits is a sense of surprise at how beautiful they look. But they *are* beautiful and I’m just capturing what I see. It’s like the photo becomes a form of validation. When I photograph someone, they’re the only person in the universe in that moment. My focus is entirely on them, in fact, often I catch myself gasping for air because I’ve forgotten to breathe! Hopefully, the women can sense that they have my full attention and admiration, which is something that comes through their disposition in the photos.

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Hazel

What do you hope others will take from them? I really hope that the project will help shift people’s perspectives and prejudices about tattooed women. A friend of mine who I went to school with told me that he never really liked or understood tattoos, especially on women, but now he finds them beautiful and reads all the interviews on the blog. I also hope that women will see the project and feel understood and valued – that’s probably the most important thing.

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Daley

Tell us about your own tattoos…. I have a dotwork prism on my side rib and a wreath on my inner arm. My tattoos are a source of strength – they crystalise what’s important to me in life. I’m a big believer in the power of symbols and how they can hold meaning and memories. Every time I do a photo shoot I have a really strong urge to get tattooed. I try to avoid rushing into things though. Luckily, most of my favourite artists live in the US, South Korea and New Zealand, which kind of enforces a more patient approach.

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Jane

Where do you hope to take the blog over the course of the next year? I’d really love to travel to new places and represent cultures that aren’t reflected in the blog. I want to find out what it’s like to be have tattoos as a woman in other parts of the world – what is the common ground and what are the differences in experience? I want to photograph and interview more women who are over the age of forty (a large portion of the women I photograph happen to be in their 20s and 30s) and I’m really keen to speak to someone who has a mastectomy tattoo – to find out more about the healing process of covering a scar with a tattoo. I’m naturally inquisitive and drawn to people and their stories, so this is the driving force behind what I do.

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Fidjit

To view more portraits of women with tattoos, visit womenwithtattoos.co.uk