Can pregnant women use electric blankets?
Disease description:
Hello doctor, my wife is pregnant, and with the weather getting colder, she always feels that the bed is not warm enough at night. We thought about using an electric blanket, but we are worried about its potential effects on the fetus. Therefore, we would like to ask you: is it safe for pregnant women to sleep on an electric blanket?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Under normal circumstances, it is not recommended for pregnant women to use electric blankets.
Electric blankets generate heat through electric current to raise the temperature under the covers, and a continuous high-temperature environment may pose risks to both pregnant women and the fetus. The fetus has a weak ability to regulate body temperature in the womb; a high-temperature environment may affect the fetus's cell division and organ development, increasing the risk of fetal malformations, especially during early pregnancy when the fetal organs are at a critical stage of differentiation and formation, making this effect more pronounced. Therefore, pregnant women should use electric blankets with caution.
In addition, electric blankets produce a certain amount of electromagnetic radiation while in operation. For safety, pregnant women should still try to avoid exposure. If a pregnant woman feels cold, it is recommended to use relatively safer methods of warming, such as hot water bottles or air conditioning, although care should be taken to avoid burns.
If an electric blanket must be used, it can be turned on in advance before sleeping to preheat the bed, and then switched off when going to bed. This can reduce, to some extent, the impact of high temperature and electromagnetic radiation on the pregnant woman and the fetus. At the same time, pregnant women are advised to maintain good living habits and a healthy diet, and to undergo regular prenatal checkups to ensure maternal and fetal health.
