Can pregnant women dive?

[Heath74]

I am planning on doing my OW certification this summer. While I'm not pregant now we are planning on having a baby sometime next year. I was wondering if it is safe to scuba dive while you're pregnant? Has anyone read any studies? This isn't exactly something they cover in Parents magazine.

Thank you,
Sara (wife of Heath74

 

[Zept]

Short answer: no.

Long answer: have a look at this thread for general advice and this thread for some interesting science.

Zept

 

[Heath74]

Thank you Zept!

I didn't think diving sounded very safe while pregnant but I had no idea. Thank you for the links. They were very interesting. I will definitely play it very safe.

Thanks,
Sara

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

Heath74,

As a pregnant women and someone who loves diving as much as anything in the world, I like yourself went on an extensive information search. I read reports on this board, queried the experts at DAN and talked at length with my OB/GYN (who is a diver). The basic breakdown that I got was, you don't need to quit diving because you are trying to get pregnant but as soon as you are confirmed pregnant, hang up your wetsuit for a 9 month leave of absence.

My husband has been diving twice since I have been pregnant and I am coping right now by not going with him to the lake. I will be attending Wreckmania in July and hope to snorkel (which is perfectly safe while pregnant). I am keeping my diving spirit alive by reading and posting often on this board and shopping for a digital video camera that can also be used with a housing underwater so I can record not only baby's first steps but hopefully also their OW dives!

Best of luck in diving and conception!

Heather

 

[Ascubamom]

Hi Sara,

I know this information is hard to come by. You cannot get 50 pregnant women to go diving and see what happens in order to conduct a study. I teach a PADI Distinctive Specialty on "Women & Diving", so I have extensively researched this topic, no easy task. For the most part the best the medical community can come up with is research on animals and then a best guess. So here is what I have:

Do NOT go diving. Even if you are trying to get pregnant diving should stop. It is possible for you to me 4 to 6 weeks pregnant before you know your are pregnant. During that time the baby starts to develop. Think about how you off gas nitrogen. You exhale it out of your lungs. If you are pregnant and diving the baby absorbs the same amount of nitrogen the mom does. How does the baby get rid of it since he does not exhale? They do not know exactly how it works through the umbilical cord, but studies show it may off gas differently. I have heard of neurological problems such as blindness occurring. Although not a major study and could be coincidence, I know of only three women who dove while pregnant and all three miscarried. Including me. I did not know I was pregnant yet. Might have happened anyway. Who knows?

In short my point is - I a dive worth the risk of a miscarriage or deformed baby?

Until the medical community can say for sure it is not I don't think we should take the chance. Snorkeling is fine and a good alternative.

Take care,
Kristy

 

[AliKat]

Ascubamom,

Do you know who/where else this specialty is given?

Thanks

 

[Ascubamom]

Hi AliKat,

I am afraid that I am the only one who teaches this specialty. I have begun to try to be more public about the Women & Diving Specialty and get the information out to as many others as I can. Starting in August I am writing a monthly column for Rodale’s Sport Diver Magazine. I would love to have other Instructors learn to lecture. I have also given some thought into traveling to give the specialty. We will see if there is enough interest for me to do that. It would be great.

Thanks for your interest,
Kristy

 

[booga_roo]

I recently found out that I was pregnant (11 weeks now) Before I found out I did a 30m dive (wondered why the hell I was so boat sick!) but since I found out I've stopped. I spent a lot of time looking stuff up and reading the various reports (lots of sheep studies) and they all seemed pretty inconclusive.

I decided in the end that it was only 9 months (although after almost 3 I have serious withdrawal) and I could wait as I couldn't bear to think of how I would feel if I gave birth to a flump as I would always be wondering if it was down to the diving.

Oh and I carried on diving whilst we were trying!ut:

 

[Starfish]

Booga_roo

How about snorkeling in the interim to keep you in the water?

 

[vr]

There's an article at http://diverlink.com/medicine/pregnancy.htm that covers diving and snorkeling while pregnant. Snorkeling is okay, diving is not.