Can I travel when I am 8 months pregnant?
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Pregnant women are already very aware of what is happening to their bodies on a daily basis, but there is nothing like a business trip or vacation to worry about. Was that cheese I just ate pasteurized? Should I worry about deep vein thrombosis when I fly? These and many other questions run through your head when traveling pregnant.
Be aware of the no-fly zone when traveling pregnantIt’s perfectly safe to fly while pregnant, but “it’s said to be inconvenient for everyone involved to give birth on a plane, so ideally avoid traveling late in pregnancy (after 36 weeks),” doctors advise. Some airlines will require a medical certificate to fly after 36 weeks; others put the date earlier, at 28 weeks. Check with your doctor and the airline before taking off (i.e., generally stop flying after 28 weeks).
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Pregnancy is not the most appropriate time to travel to areas where there is a high risk of contracting an infectious disease. If the pregnant woman cannot postpone the trip, she must take certain precautions.
For example, influenza, mumps, rubella, measles and chickenpox vaccines are made with live or attenuated germs and, although there is no evidence that they pose a serious risk to the development of the future baby, as a preventive measure they should not be given during pregnancy.
In contrast, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus and typhoid vaccines contain killed microorganisms, are toxoids or are genetically engineered. These do not affect the fetus and could be used during gestation. But sometimes they can cause a reaction in the mother that could harm the proper development of the embryo or fetus.
Therefore, except for the tetanus vaccine, which is sometimes indicated, the rest should only be administered when there is a clear possibility of infection that justifies the risk of maternal reaction.
Can I travel when I am 9 months pregnant?
If we add to all this the access to that inexhaustible source of knowledge (but also of ignorance) that is the Internet, it is easy to fill our heads with fears about what we cannot/should not do during pregnancy. We want to live with a clear conscience and we repeat phrases such as “I don’t know if this is true, but I’m not going to let it go”, “I’m going to do everything in my power”, “it’s only 9 months…”. Phrases that often lead us to stop doing things that make us happy for fear of the consequences, for example: stop traveling. However, the information manual for pregnant women provided by the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Madrid makes this very clear in one of its points:
“Travel in general is not contraindicated. It is not advisable to travel to places where health services are scarce. Towards the end of gestation, it is recommended to avoid long trips. Air travel is not contraindicated”.
We are among those who faithfully believe in the benefits of travel at all levels and, although depending on the stage of pregnancy it is necessary to adapt the type of trip that can be made and avoid certain destinations, this does not mean that in a normal pregnancy, travel is contraindicated.
A woman who is 8 months pregnant can travel by bus.
Congratulations! Now when you travel you will have to organize your trip with both of you in mind. In this article we tell you everything you need to know to travel pregnant without any worries.
If you are going on a trip and you are pregnant, you will have to be especially meticulous when it comes to organizing the documents you will need. Prepare in advance! Here is a list of the most important ones:
AXA travel insurance covers medical expenses in case of pregnancy complications (as long as they are not related to pre-existing conditions) or miscarriage, which, by their nature, prevent the trip from taking place. Medical expenses are excluded when it is considered that you are traveling with the knowledge that you have a risky pregnancy. Such complications must occur after the insurance has been taken out. Births and complications are excluded from the 7th month of gestation (28 weeks). Complications shall not include the discomfort inherent to pregnancy.