Travelling when TTC - should i stop?

[digitalgirl]

Just come back from getting our holiday jabs (going to zanzibar for 10 days) and feel really disappointed. She's told us to stop ttc now that she's given me a typhoid and tetanus jab. She also said not to start trying again until we come back and finish our malaria tablets

We're going away end of Jan, if we take even the shortest course we have to keep taking them for two weeks after we come back. So that's no ttc-ing till March.

I don't want to stop. We've been trying since August and part of the reason for going on holiday was to relax and hopefully help things along. Obviously it's not the only reason, but it certainly wasn't to stop.

What are the risks if we keep trying?

Don't keep trying if you are taking medicine that is counterindicated. These malaria tablets are very nasty. Once you are pregnant you would worry about every minor thing, you do not need the concern that you have damaged your baby with medication on top of that.

I got pg whilst taking Cipro and had a mc at 5 weeks - my doctor told me - "we would have seriously had to consider termination if you had not miscarried". Seriously, not something you want to have to deal with.

If you really want to continue ttc, I would just not take the anti-malaria meds. I did this when I went to Peru - just decded that they were too nasty to take and I'd rather take the risk that I get malaria, which I thought was not that great given where I was going. However you need to assess the risk yourself. Is it possible to stick to the safer areas?

DG its a tricky situtaion that I am in myself (I leave for India tomorrow). I have found this which may answer some of your questions.

I will be taking malaria tablets - the over the counter ones at Boots which are the mildest, however I know that even these may not be OK if conception should occur and we will be taking precautions whilst on holiday and when we come back. We have been trying for over a year now and are due to see a fertility specialist in Feb. DH has low sperm motility so the chances of it happening this month are pretty small anyway, but better safe than sorry.

thanks for the advice.

we're looking into changing the holiday.

otherwise, i'll probably be in the first half of my cycle by the time we go and perhaps i'll take the over-the-counter tablets while there and for a further week when we get back. i have long cycles anyway, it's unlikely I'll ovulate while there.

In case anyone is reading this I just looked up the malaria meds the nurse prescribed us for that region.

It's Malarone, which isn't contraindicated in pregnancy (ie they won't terminate if you accidentally conceive whilst on it) but there isn't enough evidence to suggest it's safe either.

That's a shame, because there are some malarial meds (Avloclor, Nivaquine and Pauldrine) that are safe in pregnancy, but it looks like the malarial strains in Zanzibar have developed a resistance to those.

Have also been told we need a Yellow Fever certificate (which I don't yet have), and that's a live vaccination which means I definitely shouldn't be pregnant or ttc when we have that.

Looks like we couldn't have picked a worse place to go on holiday to whilst ttc!

Hopefully there's still time to change the destination. Otherwise, looks like we'll have to stop for a bit (or lose our 'holiday of a lifetime' money)

DG, it is worth double checking the yellow fever certificate requirement. Most countries only required one if you have recently visited a country which has endemic yellow fever.

I am so
Just give it a break and be done with it. It's not worth the risk of the malarial tablets, and think about tropical diseases, possible food contamination etc
Please do take the anti malarials though. malaria is a very nasty disease, and if you did catch it you would spend a lot longer postponing conception.

Hey dg ...now I understand! .

I feel like a spy