I have a friend that is 3 months pregnant. While talking we got on the subject of tanning while pregnant. We both know that you are not suppose to lay in tanning beds while pregnant but we didn't know if it was safe for her to lay out in the sun. What do all of you think? Is it safe for a pregnant woman to lay out and sunbathe? Or is this also dangerous for the baby? And if it is dangerous, why is it dangerous? And input would be appreciated.

I can think of two reasons that it could be dangerous. It raises the temperature of your body, and it dehydrates you. Whether the raise in body temperature would be enough to harm the baby, I'm not sure. Now, this also all depends on how long you are staying out in the sun. I went sun bathing with my first son, one time. He turned out fine, but I can tell you that doing it that one time was enough for me and I never did it again, even with my second pregnancy. This is because in the course of the time that I was out there,(half an hour to an hour's time) I got so hot and dehydrated that I got sick to my stomach, with stomach pains and nearly went to the hospital. I called them and they told me to drink at least 5 8oz glasses of water first, and if the pains continued, to come in. I drank it and immediately started to feel better. Now, I was notorious for not drinking enough water anyway, so I'm sure that played a part in it as well. What ever the reasoning it scared me enough that I didn't attempt it again. I think, should you do it in moderation, it should be fine. But in that case, you likely wouldn't be able to be out in the sun long enough to get a good tan anyway. AND on top of that, being in the sun can aggrivate certain skin conditions brought on during pregnancy, such as the " mask of pregnancy" The dark brown splotches that some women get on the body, mostly on the face. Not very pretty. Just a thought. Either way, in the end, your doctor is the best person to consult on this matter. You can call the office and speak with a nurse or if they don't know the answer, they can call you back with the answer, or perhaps have the doctor call you back when he gets a moment. Good luck.

I'm not a big fan of tanning for anyone. It ages you prematurely and can give you skin cancer.