29 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

rnc, msn, cnm - but working as a perinatal educator, so while i'd love to learn more about dive medicine, i doubt it would be in any way helpful for work. not many pregnant people dive...

marci

I saw this post by a new member BabyDuck and I was curious what we know about diving and pregnancy. As an avid diver I can't imagine not diving for 9 months...but I do want to have children one day so the question is important to me and I'm sure other women as well.

1. Is is possible to dive but dive shallow ie. say 20-30 ft or less while pregnant? (We used to think you couldn't exercise while pregnant and now we know that regular moderate exercise is good for you.)
2. What happens when you are diving that first month or so that you may not realize you are pregnant?
3. What do we REALLY know about diving and pregnancy or is it all speculation?
4. Has anyone ever studied a woman that dove while pregnant and found serious consequences as a result?

[drdiver]

I have known a couple of women who dove at least through their 1st trimester with no ill effects. These were research divers so it was fairly vigorous diving, too. The most famous person who dove through several pregnancies with no ill effects was Sylvia Earle. I don't know of any scientific studies on it. Of course, the "official" position of DAN and PADI is that you shouldn't. Don't know about other agencies.

[Walter]

The main issue is asymptomatic DCS. While repeated cases may cause long term ill effects with healthy adults (bone necrosis), it is feared that it may have dire consequences for fetal tissues. How would you feel every time you saw your child if he had health problems as a result of you continuing to dive while pregnant?

You can stop diving for 9 months when the time comes. I once stopped diving for 19 months because of family commitments. There's no need for any pregnant woman to dive during her pregnancy. Why take any chances? If pregnant, you should eliminate all possible factors which could harm the baby - diving, smoking, caffeine, alcohol......... It's a small price to pay for a healthy child.

[drdiver]

Here's a link to an informed discussion on the subject.



Women, Diving and Pregnancy

[drdiver]

And an even more interesting link on pregnancy and travel--some things I had never heard about.

Pregnancy and Travel

[Dive_Girl]

WW, this is an issue I have thought about too. In reality the time you can plan on being out of the water is longer than 9 months, as the preganancy period is longer than a true 9 months and then there is recovery time and fitting back into everything.

I tell women trying to get pregnant, those who may be pregnant, and those who are to wait. Because little is known about the effects of scuba diving on an unborn child, it is recommended by most every source I have read that pregnant women should wait to dive until after a pregnancy. The potential risk is not worth it.

Here are more helpful sites:

DAN Diving Medicine FAQs
Scuba Doc Diving And Pregnancy (includes info on returning to diving after pregnancy)

[ShamuLovesMe]

If pregnant, you should eliminate all possible factors which could harm the baby - diving, smoking, caffeine, alcohol.........  It's a small price to pay for a healthy child.

For that matter, why not also avoid tap water, power lines, city living and snack foods? Where does one draw the line at protection from "all possible factors which could harm the baby"? Sure, the factors you list are the most commonsensical and risky, but let's be honest: millions of healthy babies have been born to women who smoked and drank alcohol/caffeine during their pregnancies (I am one, as are many on this board, I suspect).

We as a society have gone overboard in the past 20 years trying to eliminate all possible risk from all possible facets of life in the good ol' USA. Hence the lawsuit culture, lengthy warning lables, child-proof lids that adults can't open, and on and on.... Michael Crichton defined this "state of fear" well in his latest book (titled "State of Fear") by calling it a "near-hysterical preoccupation with safety that’s at best a waste of resources and a crimp on the human spirit, and at worst an invitation to totalitarianism."

I realize this post is off-topic, so feel free to ignore me once I step off my soapbox. But Walter's comments struck a chord, and if you know anything about guitar-playing, when you strike a chord, music comes forth! (Or discordant noise, depending on what you think of my opinions.)

p.s. As a general nod toward the direction of on-topic-ness, I do agree that it's more prudent to avoid diving than even cigarette smoking while pregnant, because apparently so little is known about the risks/potential effects.

[Trimix2dive]

Just for safety sake alone. I never plan on diving during pregnancy.

[WreckWench]

Interesting articles DrDiver and Dive_Girl.

The main issue is asymptomatic DCS. While repeated cases may cause long term ill effects with healthy adults (bone necrosis), it is feared that it may have dire consequences for fetal tissues.

Again at what depths would we need to be concerned about bubble formation? If one stayed shallow ie. 20-30 feet and did not dive daily or perhaps even repetitively how could this possible risk be any greater than alcohol, cigerettes, drug use, exposure to pesticides/herbacides etc.

[Walter]

For that matter, why not also avoid tap water, power lines, city living and snack foods?

Except for tap water, I agree. While some tap water isn't particularly good, some is excellent. Tap water meets the exact same standards as bottled water in the US. Don't buy bottled water expecting it to be better than your tap water unless your tap water is particularly bad. RO is a reasonable alternative.

I watched the last part of an interesting show on PBS last night. Cave divers were somehow (I missed that part) transmitting their location to a team on the surface who were tracking them. The land team followed their progress. They went through a Sonny's BBQ, a bowling alley, and across a golf course. As the program progressed, it kept switching back and forth between the surface team walking cross country and the divers swimming (and crawling when the cave was tight) under them. When they reached a house, the scene switched to the divers who found the end of the pipe for the well. That tap water is spring water.

If one stayed shallow ie. 20-30 feet and did not dive daily or perhaps even repetitively how could this possible risk be any greater than alcohol, cigerettes, drug use, exposure to pesticides/herbacides etc.

I'm missing your point. Which of those would you not want to avoid?

[drdiver]

Tap water meets the exact same standards as bottled water in the US. Don't buy bottled water expecting it to be better than your tap water unless your tap water is particularly bad. RO is a reasonable alternative.

Not exactly true. tap water is governed by EPA regulations and state regulations unique to tap water and bottled water is governed by FDA or state regulations specifically for bottled water. FDA regs only apply if the water is sold across state lines. Something like 50% of all bottled water isn't sold over state lines so it's governed by state regulations which don't exist at all in many states.

[Walter]

The regulations are identical (or were the last time I checked).

[Sophia]

If pregnant, you should eliminate all possible factors which could harm the baby - diving, smoking, caffeine, alcohol.........  It's a small price to pay for a healthy child.

For that matter, why not also avoid tap water, power lines, city living and snack foods? Where does one draw the line at protection from "all possible factors which could harm the baby"?

Yes, that's the plan. Except for the city living, but then I don't live in a big city.

I would also go organic in my fruits and veggies, of which I would eat so much Wenchie would be proud. I'd also watch out for hormones and antibiotics in my food, and stop eating shellfish and hollandise sauce or any other raw eggs.

Maybe this is the reason I dread being pregnant?

I'm proud of mother. When she was pregnant with me, mothers smoke and drank throughout their pregnancy. She figured out on her own that drinking had to be bad, and I made her violently ill when she smoked so she stopped. I still hate smoking.

[WreckWench]

How about this flavor Walter?

If one stayed shallow ie. 20-30 feet and did not dive daily or perhaps even repetitively how could this possible risk be any greater than normal exposure items we find in our food and day to day living.

[Sophia]

On tap water, the water from your toilet bowl will pass the tests.

Also, they are required to test twice a year, but there is no requirement that these tests be spread out in time, or that all tests be recorded. Of course, some places have naturally good water. In other places they buy sewage from cities with a water source, treat it, and send it to you to drink.

Bottled water is good to drink, but only if the words 'Reverse Osmosis' appear in the fine print. Otherwise, it's tap water or brita water.

I have a water conditioner, and a R.O. unit in my house, so I don't worry.