Sauna during pregnancy, safe or not? & bull; hello healthy

Saunas during pregnancy may be an option for some mothers to relieve stress and calm themselves. Even so, most other pregnant women actually consider the sauna during pregnancy dangerous. So, is it safe to do a sauna while pregnant? Are there any risks to pregnancy?

Is it safe to do a sauna while pregnant?

Usually the sauna room is made of wood and is designed with low humidity and a rather high temperature, which is around 82-90 degrees Celsius. For women who are not pregnant, sauna is useful for relieving stress, body aches, and removing toxins - which are released through sweat.

But for pregnant women, this sauna activity is still a matter of debate in the medical world. Some doctors allow pregnant women to relax their body with a sauna, even for a short time. Meanwhile, some other medical experts recommend not doing a sauna while pregnant. If you want to do a sauna, first discuss this with your gynecologist.

Even if your doctor allows you to do the sauna, you should still pay attention to a number of things such as the time of sauna and temperature in the sauna room. The maximum time limit in the sauna room for pregnant women is 15 minutes, but this still depends on the temperature of the sauna room to be used. If indeed the sauna room temperature is too high, then pregnant women should not linger in it.

What are the risks of doing a sauna during pregnancy?

Sauna during pregnancy can increase the potential for pregnancy complications to occur in the mother. This has been proven in several studies showing that saunas during pregnancy can increase birth defects and spina bifida - abnormalities in the spine - in babies. This can happen because the temperature in the sauna affects the mother's body temperature. This risk arises due to the temperature in the hot sauna room, so that pregnant women cannot release their body heat and eventually hypertemia occurs.

When hyperthermia occurs, blood pressure will decrease. If blood pressure decreases in pregnant women, it causes a decrease in the distribution of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. Lack of oxygen and nutrients in the fetus, resulting in various complications such as low birth weight, birth defects, even fetal death or miscarriage.

Various ways of relaxation during pregnancy apart from a sauna

From several studies that have been conducted, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that mothers not do saunas while pregnant. Even so, reducing back pain and reducing stress levels are important things that pregnant women should do. There are several other options you can do to cool off in addition to a sauna, namely:

• Take a hot shower
• Get a massage with a professional - who understands massage during pregnancy - or ask your partner to help massage the part of your body that is painful.
• Exercising, such as yoga and swimming and doing breathing exercises, are also good for later labor.

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