Pregnancy & Tanning Booths

Many doctors feel an expectant mother's exposure to UVA and UVB rays emitted by the bulbs of a tanning bed can have a detrimental effect upon the fetus in the first trimester. In addition, the long term medical harm to the mother can be very severe, by tripling or even quadrupling the risk of developing melanoma, suggests WebMD.

Effect on Reproductive Organs

• If you are concerned about possible immediate harm to your body's reproduction organs during pregnancy from tanning bed use, the Health Physics Society, a scientific organization of professionals specializing in radiation safety, suggests that women should not be alarmed. There is no evidence that ultraviolet radiation will penetrate to any significant depth in the body enough to harm ovaries or increase complications with pregnancies.

Possible Danger To Baby

• Using a tanning booth for several hours at a time can increase the body temperature of an expectant mother (hyperthermia) and present an increased risk of spina bifida in the unborn child. "Spina bifida is part of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects which cause defects in the spinal cord and in the base of the backbone of the child," according to the website Mayo Clinic.

Tanning Booth Solutions:

• Expectant mothers who still feel the need to have a tan while pregnant can use self-tanning lotions. The ingredients contained in self-tanners are harmless and produce a very realistic tan. "These lotions and sprays are basically dyes that stay on the surface of your skin and won't harm your developing baby," according to the Baby Center website.