5) Hot water can induce labor or birth defects Studies have shown that women who bathed while pregnant in water about 101° F had congenital disabilities. Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations.Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.Spending more than 10 minutes in a hot tub can raise your body temperature higher than 101 F (38.3 C). Pregnancy and hot tubs can be a risky combination. Spending more than 10 minutes in a hot tub can raise your body temperature higher than 101 F (38.3 C).
That amounts to a rate of 5.6 defects per 1,000 women.Sauna users numbered 367, of whom two had babies with defects, for a rate of 5.4 per 1,000 women. :Hot showers, saunas, or long hot baths can increase the core body temperature of the mother, increasing it more than 38.9 degree centigrade. "We recommend women who are pregnant consult with their doctors about the use of saunas," said Ted Barker, a sales manager for Nasscor Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., the nation's largest sauna maker.
More Study PlannedSaunas usually range in temperature from 170 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, while the water in hot tubs ranges from about 100 to 104 degrees, he said in a telephone interview.Dr. Nearly all women shower or take baths during early pregnancy; however, bathing habits (i.e., shower and bath length and frequency) may be related to the risk of maternal hyperthermia and exposure to water disinfection byproducts, both of which are suspected to increase risk for multiple types of birth defects. "There was a similar risk for saunas," he said Monday by telephone from Boston University's School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Human Genetics. "To our surprise, there was no doubt that use of the hot tub by mothers in the first six weeks of pregnancy" increased risk of birth defects by two or three times, said Dr. Aubrey Milunsky, the study's lead author.
Women who use hot tubs or saunas during early pregnancy face up to triple the risk of bearing babies with spina bifida or brain defects, a large study has found. Maximum intensity workouts may also raise the body temperature to dangerous levels. Birth Defects.
Statistics on DefectsOf the women studied, 1,254 reported hot tub use in early pregnancy and seven of them had babies with neural tube defects, errors in a tube-like structure of cells in the early embryo that eventually develops into the brain and spinal cord. Similarly, the rate of preterm birth less than 37 weeks and less than 32 weeks were not different. But, he added, "We found electric blankets had no effect. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. "Nevertheless," he added, "while we wait for further studies, it would seem to be prudent to avoid the hot tub and sauna when planning a pregnancy and through the first two months of pregnancy."
Milunsky said the study was designed to explore other issues, like whether prenatal vitamin supplements protect against birth defects, and did not include detailed questions about hot tubs and saunas.
To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The brain and the spinal cord are the most vulnerable organs affected by hyperthermia.
Overheating can cause a number of birth defects, especially in the first trimester- (12 weeks) when the baby’s organs are developing. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.© 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). To make sure that your bath isn't too hot, test the water on your forearm or wrist.
Background. Folic acid is a B vitamin.
It should feel comfortable – not too hot. Fever sufferers totaled 1,865 women, and seven bore babies with defects, for a rate of 3.8 per 1,000.Women with no significant prenatal heat exposure bore defective babies at a rate of 1.8 per 1,000.Risk calculations were controlled for differences in mothers' ages, vitamin intakes, family histories and multiple sources of heat exposure.A total of 49 birth defects occurred among all the babies, including 23 cases of spina bifida, in which one or more vertebrae fail to develop, causing problems ranging from leg weakness to deformity and paralysis.TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996.
Limited research has shown a small increased risk of neural tube defects — serious abnormalities of the brain or spinal cord — in the babies of women who have fevers during early pregnancy.