Travelling while Pregnant

For the pregnant woman the business trip overseas can be rather daunting for the first time. Travel added with nausea and the worry about health makes it a difficult time. However with advice, careful planning and sensible precautions, it does not have to interfere with your normal business travel.

Planning a trip

The risk of a woman needing medical assistance while travelling is greater when the woman is pregnant. Differing availability and standard of care in some countries puts a woman at a higher risk if she needs medical help abroad. We can never tell if a pregnancy will or will not go without problems - it is only with hindsight!

Disease risks such as malaria, especially in tropical countries, can cause complications for the pregnant traveller and pregnancy can sometimes limit the precautions or treatment available.

Before embarking on any travel overseas, discuss the trip with your midwife or doctor to ensure that everything is progressing normally and you are fit to travel. It is wise to be in your home country for all of you preliminary pre-natal tests and check ups, unless they can be arranged around the trip with the agreement of your doctor.

Always carry your medical notes with you when you travel. Keep in mind that most airlines will not allow a pregnant woman to travel after 32 weeks, so plan your trip to be back in plenty of time. It should also be kept in mind that most problems in pregnancy occur within the first 12-15 weeks, when miscarriage can occur. Complications such as high blood pressure, also known as pre-eclamsia, are very common after 30 weeks. So if there is a "good" time to travel it is usually during the middle 3 months.

When buying insurance or using a company policy, make sure that you are covered for the pregnancy. With many policies pregnancy will need additional cover. Discuss the pregnancy with your doctor if you are travelling to a destination that requires you to have vaccinations. In theory most live vaccinations should be avoided in pregnancy as they can cause a high temperature, which could affect the baby and other non live vaccines need advice and caution.

If you are planning to visit an area where malaria tablets are needed, you should again discuss this with your doctor. Paludrine and Chloroquine are in general considered safe in pregnancy for most women and should be taken with a folic acid supplement. Larium should be avoided in the first trimester, but for the second and third trimester is generally considered better than no protection in areas of high Chloroquine resistance. It is important that you are aware of the risks involved in travelling to a high-risk malaria zone when pregnant.

Travelling to your Destination

If you are healthy you should have no more problems now than you had travelling before the pregnancy. If you have any worries it is safer to discuss them with your midwife or doctor before you travel. Try to sit in a comfortable seat on the plane with room to move around. Sitting curled up and unable to move in an uncomfortable position can both increase your stress and reduce the blood flow to your legs, and increase your risk of DVT. Feet and leg exercises will increase the flow, as well as wearing comfortable unrestricted clothing and footwear.

When travelling by other forms of transport, make sure you walk around at regular intervals to exercise. Safety precautions such as seat belts and not driving when you feel tired are also important.

If you are still in the nausea stage when you need to travel, ask your doctor to provide an anti-travel sickness medication but be aware of the side effects such as dehydration and drowsiness.

At your destination

Care with food and drink is essential for all pregnant travellers. Taking sensible precautions to avoid travellers' diarrhoea is important for all travellers. You should also avoid under-cooked meats and unpasturized milk products.

Dietary requirements should be observed when travelling to ensure well-balanced nutrition. While preventing traveller's diarrhoea is essential, avoiding constipation is also important. It might be wise to take added bran and dried fruit if travelling to a destination where the food could be risky.

Avoiding dehydration is essential to the pregnant traveller and the use of bottled water would be a sensible precaution in countries at risk.

It is important that, if you are worried about any aspect of your pregnancy, you see your Doctor or Midwife for a check up on return from your trip.

Note: This information is designed to complement and not replace the relationship that exists with your existing family doctor or travel health professional. Please discuss your travel health requirements with your regular family doctor or practice nurse.

16/11/06