Can navel piercing make me infertile?
e-mail question:
My grandmother is afraid that I'm not going to be able to have children
if I get a navel piercing.
e-mail reply:
There is only a very very tiny risk of causing infertility. It would require
a catastrophic infection of the piercing spreading into the cavity of
the abdomen to cause peritonitis and then infection of the fallopian tubes.
This would be extremely rare in healthy persons, but would be a real risk in severely immunocompromised patients.
Compare it with the chance of President of the United States inviting you to open a McDonald's on the moon. It could happen but it probably won't.
Revised 3 February 2003
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