How Late into Pregnancy Can You Fly?
Travelling is one of the most exciting experiences that not even pregnancy should stop you from pursuing. Since most of the distance is usually covered using flights that could impact sudden emotional and physical changes in pregnant women, a majority of female travelers are sometimes skeptical about flying during pregnancy. If the health of the mother and baby are in shape, there is no alarm in flying during pregnancy.
Flying during Pregnancy
In the United States, most airlines allow women who are pregnant to board domestic flights before their 36th week or third trimester. However, some international flights do not allow pregnant women to fly after 28 weeks. Nevertheless, the airline regulations for flying during pregnancy usually vary from one to another.
For example, some airlines require medical certificates from pregnant women when boarding their flights while others have entirely no requirements. British Airways on the other hand, restrict passengers who are pregnant with more than one baby from flying beyond the 32nd week.
The airline policies for pregnant passengers can also rapidly change without any warnings or memos to their customers. Therefore, it is always advisable to contact the airline that you intend to fly with for clarifications about their policies for flying during pregnancy before booking. You can also check their website for reliable information.
Besides the airline restrictions, certain health conditions and pregnancy issues may also make it unsafe to fly during pregnancy. Some of the complications that you should avoid flying when experiencing include.
- Premature membrane rupture
- Pre-term labor
- Preeclampsia
The airline policies and pregnancy complications that could hinder flying are often similar for both domestic and international flights. However, it is advisable to avoid flying after your third trimester. By keeping to your doctor’s recommendations, flight regulations and taking proper care of yourself, you could smoothly fly up to very late into pregnancy.