Air Travel when Pregnant

Air travel is considered to be fairly safe during pregnancy, though pregnant women are advised to take extra care and be aware of any potential risks and the safeguards required whilst travelling. It is always best to check with their family GP or obstetrician and where possible carry a fit to travel letter, and copies of medical record.

Most pregnant women can travel complications free up to 36 weeks of pregnancy, subject of course to their general health and normal pregnancy (with no known complications) and by following normal health precautions.

Statistically the best period to travel is between 14 and 24 weeks, the riskiest being the first 14 weeks, when there is a greater risk of miscarriage. The next area of greater risk is after 24 weeks when there is a possibility of threatened abortion or early labour and pre-term delivery, and of course the added fact that after 24 weeks it can be particularly uncomfortable, especially on long haul flights.

Once pregnancy reaches 30 weeks complications are more common, and most airlines will not accept a pregnant traveller after 32 weeks gestation, which is why most travel insurance policies stipulate that they do not offer any cover if the traveller does not have at least eight weeks to go to their due date on the day they return from holiday.

Because antenatal facilities are not always at the same level as ours in some countries pregnant travellers are advised to seek a full medical check-up and the advice of their doctor or clinic nurse with regards to any precautions required for the countries they are travelling to. Pregnant women should avoid travelling to known malaria regions, as they could be more susceptible to the risk of contracting the disease. Though it is considered not safe for them to travel to high risk areas, it may equally not be as safe to take the recommended vaccination or anti-malaria drugs. All live vaccines are not recommended and would only be carefully considered in extreme cases, where the traveller is exposed to a high risk of infection.

It is already well know that dehydration and long haul air travel may cause deep vein thrombosis, especially if seated in economy class where the seats tend to be cramped.
Another factor that could cause problems to mother and fetus is the cabin pressure during flight, especially in the case of anemia or other medical conditions related to pregnancy.

As there are not reciprocal health cover arrangements between many countries it is strongly advisable for all pregnant travellers to take an adequate travel health/medical insurance policy that fully covers illness and injuries as well as complications in pregnancy.

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PHA does not accept responsibility for the validity or accuracy of the information published which has been obtained from third party websites and/or literature in good faith and was current as at 1st September 2003. We would strongly urge you to check with the individual company concerned to obtain the most current position.