Pregnancy

Expert Answers Tekoa Kingcertified nurse-midwife By the time insecticides get metabolized in your body and carried through the bloodstream to the fetus, the amount of exposure to your baby is very small. No epidemiological studies have shown that wom...

Expert Answers Tekoa Kingcertified nurse-midwife B...

Expert Answers Lori WolfeGenetic counselor For now, yes, it looks perfectly safe to use your phone all you want. Cell phones do emit low-wave microwave energy, but this hasn't been shown to have any adverse effect on a woman or her pregnancy. That sa...

Expert Answers Lori WolfeGenetic counselor For now...

Lori WolfeGenetic counselor Yes, it’s safe to use a photocopier while you are pregnant. The use of photocopiers has been studied, and there aren't any risks to pregnant women or others from using photocopiers. There’s no known risk from the toner or ...

Lori WolfeGenetic counselor Yes, it’s safe to use ...

Tekoa Kingcertified nurse-midwife A heating pad applied to sore muscles or aching joints won't harm your baby, because moderate heat applied to one area of your body won't raise your overall blood temperature. And there's no evidence that EMFs (elect...

Tekoa Kingcertified nurse-midwife A heating pad ap...

Mary Lake Polanob-gyn As long as you keep the temperature at the right level, an electric blanket is fine. The right temperature is one that's high enough to keep you warm but not high enough to burn you or to raise your body temperature, which could...

Mary Lake Polanob-gyn As long as you keep the temp...

Cornelia Gravesob-gyn The electromagnetic fields aren't a problem, and your baby probably is exposed to more vibration from your walking around all day than from your sitting in one of these chairs. Tekoa Kingcertified nurse-midwife Yes. Your baby is...

Cornelia Gravesob-gyn The electromagnetic fields a...

Lori WolfeGenetic counselor The answer depends on what type of paint you're using or being exposed to. Some paint contains ingredients that you should avoid during pregnancy. In general, paint contains a pigment or dye that's suspended in a liquid to...

Lori WolfeGenetic counselor The answer depends on ...

Jeanne-Marie Guiseob-gyn You can move furniture in the first trimester, but after that I don't recommend moving heavy furniture. You're already going to have a lot of back strain just from carrying the fetus. The whole way you hold yourself changes b...

Jeanne-Marie Guiseob-gyn You can move furniture in...

Christina Chambersepidemiologist We don't know whether the pesticides used to kill bugs are safe or not safe in pregnancy. But since they could be toxic to you or the baby, we recommend you leave your house while the extermination is taking place and...

Christina Chambersepidemiologist We don't know whe...

Russell Turkobstetrician Small studies have shown that chronic exposure to the carbon monoxide in wood smoke may be harmful to the growth of a developing fetus, and there are theories about why this may be so. This could be a major public health issu...

Russell Turkobstetrician Small studies have shown ...

Raul Artalob-gyn As long as you walk around, being on your feet isn't a big problem, though it may be tiring. But standing in an almost motionless position the way a cashier would have to could create problems. Standing still for long periods tends t...

Raul Artalob-gyn As long as you walk around, being...

Experts Answers Christina Chambersepidemiologist It's wise to avoid secondhand tobacco smoke as much as possible. Even if you're not the one smoking, some of the contaminants will get into your bloodstream if you're inhaling secondhand smoke. The mor...

Experts Answers Christina Chambersepidemiologist I...

Experts Answers Is it safe to ski during pregnancy? Mary Lake Polan ob-gyn It's probably not a good idea, especially in your last trimester. As you get further along in your pregnancy, your sense of balance decreases and your weight distribution ...

Experts Answers Is it safe to ski during pregnanc...

Experts Answers Is it safe to play tennis during pregnancy? Mary Lake Polan ob-gyn It depends. I tell patients that most sports they've been doing, they can continue to do, but don't take up any new ones.There's some data to support the theory t...

Experts Answers Is it safe to play tennis during...

Experts Answers Is it safe to jog during pregnancy? Raul Artal ob-gyn Yes, as long as you don't have any complications. If you're at risk for premature labor, have had bleeding, or have preeclampsia, then activities like jogging can worsen your co...

Experts Answers Is it safe to jog during pregnanc...

Experts Answers Is it safe to ice-skate or roller blade during pregnancy? Jeanne-Marie Guise ob-gyn You don't want to risk falling, which could bring on contractions or cause the placenta to tear away from your uterus, both of which could trigger ...

Experts Answers Is it safe to ice-skate or roller...

Experts Answers Is it safe to bowl while I'm pregnant? Raul Artal ob-gyn Bowling should be fine. While your joints and ligaments do relax during pregnancy, how much they relax varies from woman to woman. In most cases, expectant mothers aren't lik...

Experts Answers Is it safe to bowl while I'm preg...

Experts Answers Russell Turk obstetrician So far, studies of computer terminals have not shown any ill effects in pregnancy. Sitting in front of a computer all day when you're pregnant could lead to back pain, though, so it's best to take frequent ...

Experts Answers Russell Turk obstetrician So far...

Experts Answers Is it safe to swim in a chlorinated pool during pregnancy? Catherine Lynch ob-gyn As long as the chemicals are appropriately monitored, swimming in a chlorinated pool isn't a problem at all. It might actually make you feel good — ...

Experts Answers Is it safe to swim in a chlorinat...

Experts Answers Ogo Okpala ob-gyn The general consensus is that horseback riding is unsafe during pregnancy. Falling or being thrown from the horse is one danger for you and your baby. But even more important is the jostling motion of horseback ri...

Experts Answers Ogo Okpala ob-gyn The general co...

Experts Answers Is it safe to get my heart rate over 140 beats per minute during pregnancy? Raul Artal ob-gyn Instead of trying to keep your heart rate below 140 beats per minute, I recommend that you not engage in strenuous activities that could r...

Experts Answers Is it safe to get my heart rate ov...