Does a hot tub affect chances of implantation?

August 13, 2009 12:13 PM

Trying to conceive: hot tub a no-no?

My wife and I are trying to conceive, and we're wondering about her using a hot tub during the 2ww ("two week wait")? Is it safe? Does it reduce (or increase ;) the chances of implantation? Incidentally, I know (now) that it may reduce sperm production and health for the man; this question is more about the effect on implantation very early stage pregnancy. Thanks!

posted by pines to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Look, I'm not trying to scare you, but I went in a hot tub during my 2ww, and found out at our 7w ultrasound that we were expecting identical triplets.

I still maintain that it was the hot tub that did it.

(But seriously, I don't know if it's harmful. I guess not. I was about a week into my 2ww when I was in one.)
posted by pyjammy at 12:37 PM on August 13, 2009

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this (hot water, specifically) greatly increase a woman's risk of yeast infection?
posted by dinx2582 at 12:57 PM on August 13, 2009

Probably a bad idea, maternal hyperthermia also seems to increase risk of neural tube defects

To examine whether hot tub or whirlpool bath use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, the authors conducted a 1996–1998 population-based prospective cohort study at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California. Of 2,729 eligible women, 1,063 completed the interview. Miscarriage before 20 weeks of gestation was ascertained for all participants. Information on hot tub or whirlpool bath use was obtained during an in-person interview conducted early in the pregnancy. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio after adjustment for potential confounders. Compared with nonuse, use of a hot tub or whirlpool bath after conception was associated with a twofold increased risk of miscarriage (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 3.1). The risk seemed to increase with increasing frequency of use (aHR = 1.7 for less than once a week, aHR = 2.0 for once a week, and aHR = 2.7 for more than once a week) and with use during early gestation (aHR = 2.3 for initial use within the first 4 weeks of the last menstrual period and aHR = 1.5 for initial use after 4 weeks of the last menstrual period)

posted by zentrification at 1:00 PM on August 13, 2009

No, hot water does not categorically increase risk of yeast infections (or cause monozygotic triplet pregnancies, last time I checked). Yeast infections are caused by pH changes in the vagina, and it's the chemicals in the hot tub water to be thinking about, not the temperature. (And DON'T have sex in the hot tub or pool either, for the same reasons.) That said, plenty of women go swimming and don't get yeast infections or have miscarriages because of chlorinated water. If it were me, I would choose to just refrain from the hot tub if it were going to stress me out in any way, because the stress itself could be what might be the real risk.
posted by so_gracefully at 2:21 PM on August 13, 2009

Thanks all. So we went to a hotel at the weekend and Mrs pines kept out of the hot tub, just in case. Appreciate the input from you all.
posted by pines at 10:42 AM on August 17, 2009