Help unable to get fit to fly

[Lucccyjane]

I am currently 25 weeks pregnant and flying to Tenerife in a month. On my midwife appointment I asked for a fit to fly she said no doctors or midwife’s are allowed anymore. I did what they suggested and paid to go private… they came back to me unable to give me one due to my BMI being 30.98 beginning of pregnancy due to blood clots but if I was 30 or under I could of got one. My air line states I must have a fit to fly , my midwife said me and baby all okay to fly they just unable to sign it. If I go and get through , when I’m at Tenerife and I need medical care would this mean my insurance would be invalided and would need to pay?

Who are you flying with?

I flew several times to Tenerife pregnant later than you and didn’t have a fit to fly they are normally only needed at 28 weeks +

25 weeks plus a month would be 29 weeks

Totally mis read! It’s been a long day!

That not true they can’t sign them, I got offered a fit to fly from my midwife. Can you switch to an airline which doesn’t need one? EasyJet doesn’t need one til 35 weeks, so I didn’t get a fit to fly (was 22 weeks). Our travel insurance said they covered you unless you were travelling against medical advice

Yes, I think your insurance would probably be invalidated. If you can't afford the medical care you shouldn't go. I hope your holiday insurance covers the cost of your holiday but they might say you should have forseen this as you should have known the risk when you booked the holiday.

I've got two fit to fly letters at midwife appointments (I got lucky in that I was flying the same week as scheduled appointments), but seems strange that your midwife isn't able to provide them. I didn't get asked by the airline for them on either of my trips, but wou;dn't have gone without for piece of mind.

Consider not going. At 30 weeks and with a high BMI to begin with, you're just going to be hot and uncomfortable and will be stressing about health insurance issues. I'm 30 weeks now and I'm much much bigger and uncomfortable than at 25 weeks.

OP did you ever get a resolution for this? Currently having a similar issue and no one is willing to help. Thanks

I’ve just got a ‘fit to fly’ letter from my NHS midwife.

I downloaded the BA one Halfway down the page “flying whilst pregnant” and took it into my midwife appointment and explained the previous midwife had incorrectly marked me high risk so the private company wouldn’t sign. She had no problem completing it for me.

You could also contact a local private midwife if the private companies online won’t do one for you, but you’re looking at it being a bit more expensive.

A GHIC covers you for emergency care incl pregnancy.

Just came back from a holiday with my daughter who was 27 weeks when we went and 28 weeks when we came back. Her BMI was above 30 at the start of her pregnancy so no private ones would give her a fit to fly.

Her GP and Midwife also said they didn't give fit to fly notes. Her midwife did print off a letter saying she had seen her and her due date, and signed and stamped this.

In the end no-one asked for anything. My daugter is measuring 4 weeks ahead so we did expect to be questioned but nothing. We flew with TUI.

Thanks that’s interesting. I might try my midwife office tomorrow and see if there’s anything they can do. It’s ridiculous as by NHS guidance we are not at any risk and insurance will not pay out as there is no complication. If I was flying easyJet I wouldn’t need any letter/certificate.

@Olicat92 I flew out yesterday, and not a single person asked for my fit to fly etc. I’m 30 weeks so quite obviously pregnant and since I had the form made no attempt to hide it!

In hindsight/should it occur in a subsequent pregnancy, I’d be tempted to use photoshop and make my own form!

Fit to travel note - potential gestational diabetes
I booked up a trip to the Isles of Scilly last year. I’m now pregnant and will be 28 weeks pregnant when I go on the ferry and 29 weeks pregnant when I come back.
I have just read that over 28 weeks I need a fit to travel note from a doctor or midwife for the ferry provider and the midwife on the island.
both my midwife and doctor have said they no longer provide fit to travel notes and I would have to go private.
just to complicate things I’m having a test next week as they think I may have gestational diabetes. Every online private doctor I can see says if you do have gestational diabetes they will not issue a note. Fingers crossed I don’t have it, but I'm panicking as I’ve put so much effort into this trip and it’s cost so much and won’t be refundable.
does anyone have any experience with getting a fit to travel note with gestational diabetes?
thanks for your help :)

My daughters midwife was happy to delay her GT Test by 1 week so it was done when she returned from holiday.

This may be an option for you but only if you and your midwife agree to this x

@BabyCrouton you won't get a fit to travel note with GD in your third trimester unfortunately. Can you take out travel insurance now as at the moment you aren't diagnosed with anything and then if you are diagnosed you should be able to claim something back on that?

If they suspect you have GD then I presume you're either symptomatic or there are clinical indications of it in your pregnancy - it would not be safe to delay testing in either of these situations.

I don't think the point is whether you are asked for it or not.

The point is that if you run into any issues with your pregnancy, you wouldn't be insured for care if you didn't have this sorted.

Most airlines are quite clear about the criteria even if they don't ask for it directly at the airport. If you ran into any unexpected problems you would want to be covered no questions asked.

There is no point whatsoever in fraudulently making your own form. You would still end up having to pay £1000's in healthcare costs.

But if anything went wrong would insurance cover it.

She rang her insurance company up to let them know she was pregnant and they weren't even bothered, they said just being pregnant isn't classed as a pre-existing condition. Sounded strange to me, but there we go.

I couldn’t get a fit to fly. Gp and midwife do not do these any more. I flew to canaries a few months ago, I was 32 weeks but I’m slim so I just put a big coat on and you couldn’t tell I was pregnant so I just walked through with no one stopping me