If a patient has used a hot tub during that early pregnancy window, we can use a combination of bloodwork and ultrasound to reassure them that the likelihood their baby is affected is very low. We do a very good job of detecting neural tube defects at UT Southwestern – we can detect more than 95 percent of cases of spina bifida. I can be very reassuring to patients in that case, and that’s a really good feeling as a physician.

If a patient comes to me worried that they recently sat in a hot tub over the weekend, but we know she’s now 12 weeks pregnant, that’s most likely out of the range of concern. In other words, you’d have to have had hot tub exposure during that six-week window of early pregnancy when the embryo is vulnerable for neural tube damage to occur. Roughly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, so the impact on the neural tube could take place before the woman feels any signs of pregnancy. In fact, the spine is completely formed six weeks after a woman’s last missed period. It doesn’t take long after conception for an embryo’s spine to start forming. Studies suggest the risk doubles to 2 in 1,000 with exposure to hot tub water. The risk of neural tube defects for a typical pregnancy is about 1 in 1,000. Neural tube defects occur when there are problems with the development of the embryo’s spine and central nervous system.

So, to determine possible dangers to developing embryos, researchers and physicians have to ask pregnant women about exposure to extreme heat.Ī number of studies seem to suggest that early pregnancy exposure to extremely hot water in hot tubs – when the water temperature is 101 degrees or more – can lead to an increased risk for neural tube defects like spina bifida. Obviously we aren’t going to do this type of study with humans. The researchers theorized that the heat could have caused the significant differences. How does hot tub use affect the baby?įifty years ago, researchers discovered that after a substantial heat wave, Guinea pigs on an Australian farm presented higher rates of miscarriage and litters with birth defects. Many patients ask if hot tub use is safe during early pregnancy, so I want to explain when it’s OK, and when you should to avoid a hot tub altogether. But during your first trimester of pregnancy, hot tub use can be detrimental to your baby’s developing nervous system. Few things are more relaxing than taking a dip in a hot tub – your stress melts away as your stiff, sore muscles loosen up.

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