Is Pregnancy Lost in the Hot Tub?

Miscarriage occurs in 15% of pregnancies. Although most pregnancy losses have genetic causes, there is a constant effort to ascertain and remove environmental or lifestyle causes. To determine whether hot tub use is associated with pregnancy loss, these authors analyzed data on women who underwent in-person interviews as part of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program soon after they became pregnant in 1996-1998. Pregnancy outcomes until 20 weeks' gestation were documented.

Of 2729 eligible women who were contacted for the study, 1058 who completed interviews were included in the analysis. A total of 170 women lost their pregnancies before 20 weeks' gestation; 103 of these losses occurred prior to their interviews. Women who used hot tubs…