Air travel during pregnancy is a very misunderstood topic. Some will tell you that it’s unsafe for you to travel during the first weeks, others will say that it’s unsafe to travel during the 3rd trimester. Some people might even say you should avoid air travel altogether while pregnant. Knowing what is true and what is actually safe can quickly become overwhelming with so many different schools of thought on this topic.
In most cases flying is safe up until the 36th week. Most airlines won’t even let you board the plane if you are 36 weeks pregnant or more.
However, this only applies to women with healthy pregnancies. If you have dealt with any type of complications, you will need to check in with your doctor to see whether or not you are cleared to fly. In fact, we recommend checking with your doctor at all times before flying while pregnant.
Even if you get cleared for flight during your pregnancy, there are still a few tricks you may want to consider in order to make your flight easier to handle.
Flying on occasion is no big deal, but if you’re a frequent flyer and pregnant, you’ll want to discuss this with your doctor. For instance, if you’re a flight attendant or if you travel often on business. Airplanes flying at high altitudes and give off some radiation exposure, which does no harm when flying on occasion, but if you plan on flying regularly, your doctor may want to limit your flight hours during your pregnancy.