Scuba diving in second trimester

[welsh98]

Hi all. I've read everything I can get my hands on (including all previous animal and human studies on the matter).

I had this scuba holiday to the Great Barrier Reef booked for the past year but by the time I get there, I'll be 5 months pregnant and I'd like to do a shallow dive.

Now I'm wondering, how many of you have scuba dived pregnant?

Thanks in advance :blinking:

 

[fisheater]

Everything I've read says, basically, "we don't have enough data to quantify the risks, so just don't do it."

The ocean will still be there, but your kid's on a one-way ride into this life, with no "do-overs."

Best of luck.

 

[welsh98]

Yeah I do understand.
It was also previously stated that pregnant women couldn't fly, but we know that's not the case now.

I'm finding it interesting that many dive centers that I call, tell me that I should get advice from my doc but that their wives dived whilst pregnant.

Thanks for the reply though

 

[JohnN]

Yeah I do understand.
It was also previously stated that pregnant women couldn't fly, but we know that's not the case now.

I'm finding it interesting that many dive centers that I call, tell me that I should get advice from my doc but that their wives dived whilst pregnant.

Thanks for the reply though

What does DAN say ?

 

[dmoore19]

Is it worth the risk?

If you don't know what the risk is it wouldn't be worth it to me. YMMV

 

[raftingtigger]

Check the following thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/womens-perspectives/186531-effects-diving-pregnancy.html

 

[doctormike]

Yeah I do understand.
It was also previously stated that pregnant women couldn't fly, but we know that's not the case now.

I have no idea what the impact of diving is on a fetus. However, I will point out while that there are essentially no significant physiological changes associated with flying in a commercial pressurized aircraft, every dive results in inert gas (nitrogen or helium) being dissolved in the divers tissues, which are then released by off gassing. It also seems that every dive does result in some bubble formation, but all of the algorithms and tables that have been developed over the years are designed to keep the off gassing gradient below that which will allow for clinically significant bubble formation in the various tissue compartments.

The way that we have established safe profiles and decompression tables is really by trial and error, and by careful data recording from huge numbers of dives (military, commercial and otherwise). There isn't a good animal model for this.

No one knows how fetal tissue, especially developing fetal neural and eye tissue, responds to things like microbubbles and elevated PPO2. No one knows what the long term effects of those physiological changes would be to a developing fetus. Just because people have dived while pregnant and have had children without obvious injury doesn't prove anything.

On the other hand, the OP didn't ask if she should dive, her question was "how many of you have dived pregnant?" My question would be "why would that matter?"

 

[raftingtigger]

Not quite 22 years ago I had a chance to go on a long awaited diving trip with my husband. The circumstances were such that the opportunity would unlikely ever come again (it hasn't). Shortly before going I found out I was pregnant. After a lot of soul searching I decided to cancel our trip. Fast forward 21 years... My son is a wonderful and loving 21 year-old (today) who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of Autism). This is causing him significant difficulties with independent living. Clearly this was NOT caused by diving because I did not dive while pregnant, but if I had gone diving while pregnant I would probably wonder/worry/regret that diving might have been the cause.

To the OP, is it worth the risk? I'm glad I chose not to dive.

 

[GrimSleeper]

I can't remember the details, but I vaguely recall that the Ama pearl divers in Japan - women who free-dived to significant depths repeatedly - showed an unusually high rate of birth defects and there was one defect that was especially prevalent. At least one study suggested it was the diving that was the cause.

The Great Barrier Reef is 'Great' because it is very long, not great because it's unmissable reef. Mostly it's been kicked to pieces by tourists, where it hasn't been dredged to let coal ships through, unless you're going to the more remote parts of the reef. Do you really want to expose your unborn child to unknown risks for the sake of one dive that will almost certainly be disappointing?

To answer your actual question, though, no, I've never dived while pregnant...

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---------- Post added January 27th, 2014 at 03:25 PM ----------

I'm finding it interesting that many dive centers that I call, tell me that I should get advice from my doc but that their wives dived whilst pregnant.

Seriously? How many dive centres, exactly, are telling you that?


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[Damselfish]

This feels like one of those questions that you know the answer to, but don't like it, and keep asking it in different ways hoping to get an answer you like better. It's not going to happen.

And that is a very good point about the Great Barrier Reef - while the quality of the diving doesn't change the potential risks and doesn't (or shouldn't) play into your decision - "Great Barrier Reef" really means "Big Barrier Reef" - depending where you go the diving may not be that special.