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Is It Safe to Travel by Plane Whilst
Pregnant?
Traveling by plane is safe throughout a
large proportion of your pregnancy. The
ideal time to fly is between 14 to 27 weeks
which is also known as the second trimester.
This is because in most cases, morning
sickness is likely to have passed, you will
find yourself much more energetic and
healthy and most importantly you risk of
miscarriage is low. It is however advised
that you do not travel after 36 weeks in
your pregnancy so if you have a holiday
planned for this time you will need to
re-schedule. Regardless of when in your
pregnancy you wish to fly you should always
talk to your doctor or midwife about your
plans before hand. For special high risk
cases your doctor may advise you to avoid
travel throughout your pregnancy just to be
safe but otherwise flying during pregnancy
is perfectly fine.
You should ensure that your doctor or
midwife refers you to an appropriate medical
professional at your holiday destination so
that you can quickly seek medical advice or
help during your holiday if you need it. You
should also remember to take a copy of your
prenatal chart with you so that all your
relevant information is to hand if you are
flying during pregnancy, if you are only
travelling in your first trimester this is
not necessary.
Can the Metal Detectors Harm my Baby?
Metal detectors emit a very low frequency
electromagnetic field in order to detect
metal items. These metal detectors emit the
same kind of electromagnetic field as any of
the electrical appliances found in everyday
households and uses such low levels that it
is not considered harmful in any way even
for pregnant women. Both the walk through
and hand held metal detectors are perfectly
safe to use.
Can I be Exposed to the Radiation from the
Luggage Scanning Machine?
The machine that scans hand held luggage for
dangerous content uses x-ray technology to
see inside the bags without opening them.
However, in order to make the machine safe
to use on a daily basis by the terminal
staff the machine does not give off any
radiation. In order to be exposed to
significant levels of radiation you would
need to actually put your hand through the
flaps where the bag goes in. Just place your
bag on the conveyor belt as normal and then
wait for it at the other side, if it makes
you feel uneasy there is no reason why you
have to wait around the machine itself, but
unless you put a limb inside the machine,
you are perfectly safe.
Can the Cabin Pressure Harm my Baby?
Airplanes maintain a standard level of
pressure within the cabin that is acceptable
for healthy individuals to travel in. If you
and your baby are healthy you will have no
problems in this environment and flying
during pregnancy will be safe. The cabin
pressure is a bit lower than on land which
means your body has to work a bit harder to
get a decent supply of oxygen so if you
suffer from anemia, a history of blood clots
or other circulatory related diseases you
should check with your doctor beforehand and
consider avoiding plane travel. If travel is
mandatory you may be prescribed with oxygen
for your journey if flying during pregnancy. |
