Welcome to Travelturtle, the travel health advice site that provides you with country specific medical and vaccination reports usually only available to registered UK healthcare professionals.
This page offers information about travelling when pregnant, and flying when pregnant.
- Find generic information about travelling while pregnant, and more general advice in regards to any travel when pregnant.
- Find hints on tips about preparatory steps to take whilst travelling if pregnant and how to execute these procedures.
- Find tips on how to deal with the environmental strains that can affect an expectant mother when travelling.
- To travel when pregnant can be a risk, so please find a full guide on how to best manage your condition at destination.
Pregnancy |
To travel while pregnant can be risky and there are a few unlucky women who regret taking their trip. However normal the pregnancy appears to be, it is never certain what is ahead.
Patients should avoid
- flying when pregnant close to the airline cut-off dates for pregnancy
- ambitious or exhausting itineraries
- travel to countries with high rates of endemic disease
- travel to countries with high risks of malaria
- travel to remote areas
- taking risks
- travel to high altitudes
If travelling while pregnant patients should:
- have a check-up before they go, including all necessary blood tests and investigations
- avoid countries with substandard antenatal care
- avoid destinations where language barriers could cause difficulties
- avoid travel when at greatest risk of miscarriage (in the first 15 weeks) or at greatest risk of complications (after 30 weeks)
- discuss malaria prevention. Malaria is far more dangerous to the fetus than the drugs used to prevent it so a realistic assessment of the risks will be necessary. There is limited information on the safety and efficacy of most antimalarials in pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester. Chloroquine alone or in combination with paludrine appear to be OK for use, including in the first trimester. Meflouquine may be used in the second and third trimesters. Doxycycline must not be taken and atovaquone-proguanil hydrochloride has not been sufficiently investigated to estimate whether it is safe in pregnancy.
- vaccinations need to be considered in light of the risk of contracting a disease, but live vaccinations such as yellow fever, MMR BCG, varicella and oral polio should be avoided.
- make sure insurance covers pregnancy.
- check airline cut-off dates for travel and abide by them.
- Pregnancy increases the risks of deep vein thrombosis during flights. Patients should take travel socks, drink plenty of fluid and avoid cramped, immobile positions.
- Reduced oxygen levels on flights can cause problems if the placenta is not functioning efficiently.
- Flying increases exposure to radiation; the journey from London to New York provides the equivalent to a chest X-ray.
While abroad - Hot weather causes dehydration, which adds to the risks that already exist for constipation and thrombosis. It can increase the risk of miscarriage. Patients should take plenty of fluids.
- Patiens should be wary of milk and cheese, which can cause listeriosis, and partly cooked meat, which carries a risk of toxoplasmosis.
- Alcohol should be avoided.
- Locally prescribed medication should be avoided unless the patient can be sure it is safe in pregnancy.
- Pregnant women should avoid high altitude if possible but a well-acclimatised traveller can ascend to around 3,500m without major risks. However, exertion at altitude ought to be avoided.
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