Diving while Trying to Conceive

[ryanm]

Can someone please give me some insight about diving while trying to conceive? My family and I are going on a dive vacation to Roatan at the end of May. I've been ttc for about 9 months now and am currently on meds to help. From everything I've read, a woman SHOULD NOT dive if pregnant, but is that true even if it's still very early? Say I'm only 3 weeks along, will diving do any harm? I most likely will not dive at all since it has been such a hardship so far, but I'm curious anyway. And what about while still trying? Is there anything in diving that could affect my chances of conceiving?

Thanks,
Shaunda

 

[ladycute1]

Shaunda --

I am not a medical professional.

Everything I have read is very strong about NOT diving while pregnant. -- Much of what I have read addresses the idea that there is sooooo much we don't know about the risks of diving while pregnant -- What I have read is most concerned about nitrogen saturation and the placenta -- even placental development

But, my thought to you is that if you have been trying for nine months to conceive, and you have been working hard enough at this so that you are now taking medications.... It seems to me that you would want to avoid ANY POSSIBLE risk -- and while diving does have a very strong seductive draw, it is a risk that is easy to avoid...

How about snorkeling instead?


Just my .02.

 

[TexasMike]

While I realize that this is a typical "Women's only" question, I'm moving it over to the Diving Medicine forum since you're more likely to get responses from our diving doctors such as ScubaDoc and BillP.

--TM

 

[TexasMike]

for a direct answer to your question, contact DAN, www.DiversAlertNetwork.org. There non-emergency medical question phone number is 1-919-684-2948.

DAN is one of the better organizations for the general diving public to get information and assistance for diving medicine related questions.

And their diving insurance is a very good thing to have. If you don't already have it, I definitely recommend getting it.

--TM

 

[ScubaJorgen]

My wife took some dives before we found out she was pregnant. She stopped when we knew it, but had already made the dives. My daughter is not more cranky than I am, so all went ok.

I would not take any risks. I would not forgive myself if....

 

[BillP]

Hi Shaunda:

I would not recommend diving during any stage of pregnancy. I haven't read anything specific about diving affecting the ability to conceive. See an earlier post at:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=854&highlight=pregnant#post854

HTH,

Bill

 

[davidofaustin]

Can someone please give me some insight about diving while trying to conceive?

I was going to buy tickets to see that one, then read the rest of the post.
Same advice as the rest, it probably would be best to not dive Best of luck

Dave

 

[John Reinertson]

one of the theories about how diving could affect fetal development has to do with bubbles in the placenta. Obvoiusly, this is not a problem in the earliest stages of pregnancy or while trying to conceive.

With that said, I know I couldn't ever relax or feel good about myself if I conceived while diving and there was a problem with the pregnancy. (trying to imagine being female, which is a stretch. Those who have seen me in a wet suit don't find imagining me pregnant as a stretch)

Don't chance it. Pregnancy and delivery is frightening enough without adding unknowns to the equation.

If you get pregnant, take some solace in the fact that we don't know it to be a problem, but don't be in a hurry to take a chance with a child.

Remember, the consequences here last fifty years or more..

Be careful, and remember the fun of snorkeling. It's often easier to approach wildlife with a snorkel.

John

 

[Rick Murchison]

Whenever the question of pregnancy and diving comes up, I rephrase it to "should I take even a remote chance on getting DCS and making a table 6 chamber run or three while pregnant?"
Makes the answer easier...
Rick

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

We have two kids three years apart. When we were in Jamaica, my wife *****ed and moaned about suiting up in the rocking boat. She got seasick--big time but she dove and swore she would never dive again! Nine months later, a GIRL!

Three years later she decides to try diving again in the Cayman Islands. Same thing, terrible sea sickness, did the dive and nine months later, a BOY!

Seems that she had a mixture of morning sickness and sea sickness at the same time. We had no idea she was preggers.

The seasickness was so bad that now just the sight of a boat sets her off. She was sick during the Perfect Storm--really!

Larry Stein