Q&A: Is It Safe to Get a Manicure or Pedicure While Pregnant?
Pregnancy Podcast
Vanessa Merten
4.5 • 970 Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Getting a manicure or pedicure can be a relaxing way to treat yourself, but many people wonder if it's safe during pregnancy. This episode looks at the potential concerns about nail polish chemicals, like formaldehyde, toluene, and phthalates, and reviews research on how much of these ingredients the body might absorb. Learn about gel polish, tips to reduce your exposure, what to consider about foot and leg massages during a pedicure, and how to lower the risk of infection. By the end of this episode, you'll feel confident in making the right choice for you, whether that means taking some precautions or sticking to your usual routine.
Full article and resources for this episode: https://pregnancypodcast.com/pedicure/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton. |
| 0:10.6 | Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast. In today's episode, we're talking about |
| 0:17.6 | whether it's safe to get a manicure or pedicure when you're pregnant. |
| 0:22.0 | This can be a very relaxing way to treat yourself, but many expecting moms wonder how safe it is during pregnancy. |
| 0:30.5 | In today's episode, we will look at the potential concerns of the chemicals and nail polish, |
| 0:36.8 | like formaldehyde, talewine, and thallates, |
| 0:40.2 | and we will review research on how much of these ingredients might be absorbed in the body. |
| 0:46.7 | Plus, learn about considerations for gel polish, tips to reduce your exposure, what to consider |
| 0:53.8 | about foot and leg massages during a pedicure, |
| 0:57.3 | and how you can lower your risk of infection. By the end of this episode, you will feel confident |
| 1:03.5 | in making the right choice for you, whether that means taking some precautions or sticking |
| 1:09.4 | to your usual manicure and pedicure routine. |
| 1:13.5 | You can find the full article and all of the links and resources for this episode at |
| 1:20.3 | Pregnancy Podcast.com slash pedicure. |
| 1:25.7 | You are currently listening to the public feed of the podcast. Become a |
| 1:31.6 | pregnancy podcast premium member to access all of the episodes ad-free, including hundreds of |
| 1:39.2 | episodes exclusively available to premium members. Let me save you time going down Google rabbit |
| 1:46.1 | holes and trying to sift through conflicting recommendations no matter what topic you're |
| 1:52.0 | looking for more information on for pregnancy or planning for your birth. There is an episode |
| 1:57.8 | of the pregnancy podcast with the answers you're looking for. |
| 2:01.9 | Check out pregnancy podcast premium at pregnancy podcast.com slash premium. |
| 2:10.0 | The Zaller prenatal plus DHA is my number one recommendation for a high quality prenatal |
... |
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