For healthy women with a normal pregnancy, the sauna is an excellent addition from the fourth month onwards — in Finland it's even quite common. We advise against sauna visits during the first 14 weeks, and in the final weeks you should avoid the plunge pool and jacuzzi. It's normal for your heart rate (and the baby's) to increase slightly — just like during a brisk walk.

Quite the opposite. The dry heat also relaxes the small muscles around the airways, reducing symptoms and attacks in many people. Regular sauna use also builds resistance to colds — often a source of problems for asthma patients. The steam bath, with its moist heat, is a blessing for the airways.

The heat causes blood vessels to dilate and your blood pressure to drop; when you cool down, the opposite happens. This way the sauna has a regulating effect — provided you build up gradually, cool down properly and listen to your body. Do you have a serious heart or circulatory condition? Consult your doctor first.

Yes. A sauna session requires barely any energy: the heat comes from outside. Regular sauna use also keeps blood vessels supple — beneficial because diabetics have an increased risk of arteriosclerosis. Feeling a bit dizzy? Take it easy and have something sweet, and it will pass quickly.

Mild varicose veins or occasional hemorrhoid discomfort are not a problem. If you have severe symptoms — for example, if your doctor advises against sun exposure or bleeding occurs frequently — then you should skip the sauna. You usually feel where the line is yourself.