Pregnancy and Hot Tubs

Hot tubs during Pregnancy has been a point of debate since long. According to the Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS), a body temperature of 101º F and above can raise concerns during pregnancy. Some studies have shown an increased risk of birth defects in babies of women who had an increased body temperature during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A hot bath, which is not uncomfortable or scalding, is a safer way to relax. In a bath much of your upper body will remain out of the water, making you less likely to overheat. Additionally, the water in a bath begins to cool off, as opposed to a hot tub, further reducing any risk of overheating.

Care while using Hot Tubs during Pregnancy

• Re-program your hot tub to maintain a lower temperature.
• Limit time in a hot tub to 10 minutes or less.
• Monitor the temperature of the water by dipping a thermometer in the hot tub.
• Monitor your body temperature to avoid overheating.
• Pay attention to warning signs such as becoming uncomfortable or if you stop sweating.
• Don't overheat. Set the water temperature at or below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to make sure it's not too hot.
• Keep it short. Keep soaks brief and get out of the hot tub if you feel at all dizzy, weak, or uncomfortable.
• Limit use. There is some evidence that more frequent use raises the risks

Risks of taking hot tub bath in pregnancy

1. The risk is not great, but medical professionals recommend that pregnant woman refrain from using hot tubs and saunas, or very hot baths for that matter.
2. Keep in mind that this is a recommendation, erring on the side of caution.
3. Not every woman will deliver a child with birth defects, or suffer a miscarriage, and some women who have never used a hot tub will do the same.
4. There are many things pregnant women are told to avoid, to decrease any risks, even if they are unlikely.
5. Women were twice as likely to suffer miscarriages if they took dips in hot tubs during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, a survey of San Francisco-area women found. The findings don't definitively link hot tub use to miscarriages. Instead, they only imply some sort of connection exists.

Many beliefs are insisting that pregnancy and hot tubs are not a healthy combination, many women do not even take long hot baths because that also can be dangerous to the pregnant woman.  There is even recent research suggesting that this is not an old myth, there actually is medical proof that can substantiate that can now dispel the myths from the facts.