Would you risk malaria pills?

[JesterJemima]

hi all,

Just hoing for a bit of reassurance on this.....

Pre-booked a holiday without realising it was a malaria spot.

Has anyone conceived accidently whilst on malaria pills/ did it turn out ok?

thanks

From HPA website:

Malaria prophylaxis in the first 3 months of pregnancy

Pregnant women travelling to areas with malaria should strongly consider deferring travel until after delivery.
For those who cannot change their travel plans, Chloroquine/Proguanil is safe for use in the first trimester, however, its effectiveness is declining significantly in most areas, and it is now not appropriate, particularly in sub-saharan Africa.
The safety in pregnancy of more recently-introduced drugs is uncertain; doxycycline should not be used in pregnancy.

Expert advice should be sought by pregnant travellers to high-risk areas. After expert consultation, Mefloquine may be considered for use in the first trimester of pregnancy.

So basically the only drugs known to be safe to take in the first trimester don't protect you that well against malaria.
If I were you I'd use contraception till you come home or see if you can change the holiday to another destination. Where were you planning to go?

I booked a holiday to Dominican Republic and then found out I was pregnant before we went. My Dr advised against travelling there but I couldn't change our plans (we were getting married there) so it was decided it would be safer to take the malaria tablets during the pregnancy rather than risk getting malaria. All turned out well, I was 8 weeks pregnant when I travelled, I had a very smooth pregnancy and a healthy baby girl at full term.

Thanks....

Am trying to change travel plans but travel agency resisting. Their info was that resort holidays in the Dominican didn't need malaria protection and I stupidly believed them and booked........until going to the docs.

Dominican does respond to Choloroquine - the one that is 'safe'. But I'm sure I'll opt for the sensible wait option (it just seems ages before it's out of your system )

I have a friend who's a doctor qualified in tropical medicine and she made certain she didn't conceive while on anti-malarial drugs because she felt it was too risky. If it were me, I'd wait a while so the baby has the best start in life.