Smart Tan this week received the following note from a member: “I had a customer tell me her doctor said to stop tanning because she is having difficulty getting pregnant and UV exposure could be the culprit. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Has there ever been a study linking UV exposure to conception? Do tan people have lower birth rates then pale people? Is there any data to support this? Doctors make me so mad.”

You should be mad. There is no data whatsoever showing that UV exposure would compromise a woman’s ability to get pregnant.

What could the doctor possibly be thinking? Some researchers have speculated that UV light might break down folic acid, but there is no research to suggest that it does so in the body. In fact, tests have shown that it doesn’t. What’s more, such a theory runs contrary to the fact that most living organisms survive and thrive in regular UV exposure outdoors.

“Passing off baseless speculation as a plausible theory like this is deplorable,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “To give a woman the impression that her actions have somehow compromised her ability to conceive children when no data exists to support such a statement is ridiculous at best and unethical at worst.”

Smart Tan suggested, “If the doctor cannot produce cause-and-effect research supporting his statement your client might consider reporting her doctor to the appropriate state medical board.”