People travel for different reasons it can be for business or for leisure and all of this is arranged ahead of time.
What then happens when you discover that you are pregnant a few days before your trip?
Women often ask themselves whether flying is dangerous for them and the different health risks that are associated with flying pregnant.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines says flying when you are pregnant will not harm the feotus and there is no scientific evidence of an increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects, or premature birth.
The feotus is well protected from changes outside the mother’s body, such as variations in air pressure and humidity in the aircraft cabin.
These are the four things you need to know when travelling while pregnant:
Pre-travel advice and immunisation
Depending on your destination, advice about vaccination and malaria prevention may be different if you are pregnant. It is important to be properly informed, especially when visiting countries where infectious diseases such as malaria are prevalent. In some cases, travel to a country could even be discouraged because of the risks. Pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant should also avoid travelling to countries with outbreaks of Zika.
How far into your pregnancy can you fly?
KLM recommends that women who are more than 32 weeks pregnant should not fly. The airline also discourages flying for both mother and child during the first week after birth. If one is expecting multiple births, the airline recommends that one consults their doctor before any flight. It is also recommended that they carry a recent pregnancy statement with information about the due date and other relevant information. In many countries airline staff may want to see that.
Cosmic radiation
In a normal situation, the cosmic radiation exposure of a return trans-Atlantic flight can be compared to the same amount of exposure as when you have a chest X-ray. As with X-rays radiation can cause damage to genetic material inside a cell. There is however no evidence that a trans-Atlantic flight increases the risk of abnormalities. To be on the safe side it is recommended to avoid frequent air travel when pregnant.
Increased risk of thrombosis
If you are pregnant, you already run a greater risk of developing thrombosis and flying will increase the risk. Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is a potentially life-threatening disorder in which blood clots can form in the deep veins of the body, particularly the legs. In an aircraft, the dehydration caused by the dry air may thicken your blood.
There are a few things you can do to prevent or reduce the risk of thrombosis:
• During long flights, walk around the cabin every 15 to 30 minutes, if possible
• Do some simple stretching exercises while you are seated
• Only sleep for short periods – up to 30 minutes at a time
• Move around after every nap
• Drink plenty of water
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine
Wearing compression stockings can also help.
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