Generally, women are perfectly safe to travel during pregnancy so long as a doctor clears them of all complications. Examples of complications include twins, hypertensive disease, placenta previa and extreme nausea.

Pertaining to nausea, most women will find the first trimester particularly challenging because of morning sickness. Likewise, the third trimester often brings about waves of fatigue and approaches too near the delivery date. Both first and third trimesters are the most common periods for obstetric emergencies to occur, making the second trimester the safest time to travel.

How safe travel is for a pregnancy also depends on the destination. When vacationing somewhere tropical, there are myriad viruses and bacteria foreign to the body. Unfortunately, women cannot protect themselves and their babies from such things because live vaccines are dangerous during a pregnancy.

Pregnancy and Transportation

Pregnant women can travel by all modes of transportation—including planes, despite common belief. That said, there are some recommendations to make each method safer:

• Always use both the lap and shoulder seatbelts when available;
• Hold chairs or rails when walking down narrow bus, train and airplane aisles;
• Refrain from walking on an airplane during periods of turbulence;
• Try not to sit for six or more hours all at once;
• Travel on airlines with pressurized cabins only.

Regardless the method of travel, insurance is highly recommended. If anything were to happen abroad, the cost of birthing or treatment would be exorbitant without proper coverage.