Travelling to tropical country when pregnant

[wineandcheese]

I'm not pregnant yet, so this is just hypothetical.

DP and I are planning to visit some friends in Africa for a wedding next Easter. We also plan to start TTC soon and I hope to be pregnant by then. My question is: would you go to a sub-Saharan country when pregnant? I have visited before and know that a) malaria drugs are essential and b) no matter how careful I am with food I am very likely to get diahorrea.

I have ages to decide, and of course I might not even get pregnant, but just wondering what your opinions are.

Thanks.

[PotteringAlong]

I wouldn't go to a malarial country when pregnant - I cancelled a trip to a malarial country at the advice of dr's and midwife when I was about 10 weeks pregnant.

You can take malarial drugs when pregnant but have to take a cocktail of them. There is also a greater risk of catching malaria and it being more serious if you're pregnant (so I was told). For me, it simply wasn't worth the risk.

[wineandcheese]

Thanks, Pottering. Your reply prompted me to read more about pregnancy and malaria and I think I would make the same decision.

[tulip27]

The national institute of travel health naTHnac.org will be able to help you answer that question. As a travel nurse I would be advising against travel to a malaria area whilst pregnant and some vaccines, such as hep A should not be given within 3 months of conception.

[PotteringAlong]

It's also worth mentioning that my travel insurance wouldn't pay out because 'pregnancy is not an illness' so if you do book then get insurance that means you can cancel! Like you, I wasn't pregnant when I booked (and it happened a bit sooner than expected!) so didn't think to check the policy for pregnancy!

[PeriPathetic]

I had to travel to a very "exotic" country when I was first pregnant (Solomon Islands). I was reckless and stubborn as hell and, even though DH tried to dissuade me by getting a doctor to talk to me, I still went.

The doctor explained that malaria prophylaxis do not harm the foetus at all, malaria would. The doc did not specifically say "do not go", which is why I went. (as I said, stubborn and reckless )

All was well, but in retrospect I was very stupid. A colleague from there has since died from malaria

Malaria tablets do not necessarily prevent malaria.
I wouldn't go to Africa as the mosquitos there are notoriously resistant to many preventative drugs.