Can I use a Hot Tub While Pregnant?

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Can I use a Hot Tub While Pregnant?

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While you are pregnant, you should be careful about using spas or hot tubs. During pregnancy, there are always risks of harming your fetus if you overextend your time in a hot tub or even in a hot bath for that matter. As a rule of thumb you should never enter a hot tub during your first trimester, specifically for the first 28 days (when you may not even know you are pregnant unfortunately).

During this crucial period when the spine is forming, temperatures over 100 degrees have been shown to cause neural tube defects and possibly increase your risk of miscarriage. After your first trimester is over however, you should be able to use a hot tub quite safely. While the risk of hurting your baby via hot tub is minimal at this stage, you should still take some precautions.

When using a hot tub during pregnancy, you should make sure that the water is not too hot. This may sound funny because the very name of it is a hot tub, but you should never over heat your baby. This is much easier if you have a private hot tub. The hot tubs that are found in swimming pools always tend to be over heated. So if you have a hot tub at your house, lower the temperature a few hours prior to getting in. This can still be relaxing and enjoyable without being scorching hot. Many pregnant women use hot tubs in this fashion because they are still getting the benefits of the jets massaging their legs and back, but instead of being in hot water, they are being refreshed by cooler water.

You will also want to make sure that the water is extremely clean before you enter it. Any types of bacteria or virus’s in the water could cause infections and that is something you do not want to have to be dealing with during pregnancy.

Some people might say that it is fine to use a hot tub during at time of pregnancy and at any temperature. That is not information you want to be following. You should always make sure the water temperature is cool; anywhere under 100*F. You should also not use a hot tub in your first trimester, and always make sure the water is very clean. If you’re hot tub is not chlorinated, you should not enter it with anyone who is infected with any type of transferable illness.