Traveling While Pregnant: When Does Flying Become a Problem?

For most women, a healthy pregnancy allows travel for a good part of the pregnancy. But a complication far from home raises specific questions: can the woman fly, who decides, and how is a transfer organized? This article gives general information and does not replace the advice of your doctor or midwife, whom you should consult before any trip.

Before traveling

• Talk to your doctor or midwife. They know your history and can tell you whether the trip is advisable and until when.
• Check the airline's rules. Many airlines set a limit in the last weeks of pregnancy, an earlier limit for multiple pregnancies, and may ask for a medical certificate. Rules differ from one airline to another.
• Check your travel insurance. Some contracts exclude or limit pregnancy-related care, or apply conditions on the stage of pregnancy. Read the exclusions before you leave.
• Carry your medical file. Take the pregnancy record, the latest ultrasound reports, blood group and the contact of your doctor.
• Know the local care. Identify the hospital with a maternity unit near your destination.

Warning signs: seek care immediately

• Bleeding.
• Regular contractions or abdominal pain.
• Leaking of fluid.
• Severe headache, visual disturbances or sudden swelling.
• A marked decrease in the baby's movements.

Do not wait: go to the nearest hospital with a maternity unit, and call your assistance company as soon as possible.

When a transfer becomes necessary

If a complication happens abroad, the doctors decide whether the mother can be treated locally, whether she can travel and how. A transfer by air is considered only when the mother and the baby are stable enough for it, and always with a medical team adapted to the situation, sometimes with a neonatal team if a premature birth is possible. See our page on high-risk pregnancy. If the baby is born prematurely abroad, a neonatal transfer may be organized later, see pediatric and neonatal transfers.

Who decides

The decision is medical. The treating obstetrician abroad, the assistance company's doctors and our coordinating physician look at the file together. The mother's wishes are taken into account, and so is the advice of her usual doctor. See who decides on a medical repatriation.

How we can help

If a pregnant woman needs to be brought home after a complication, call us at any hour. Our coordinating physician reads the obstetric file, gives an opinion on the transport and organizes the transfer with the hospital and the insurer. The final decision always remains with the treating physicians.

In short

• Talk to your doctor before traveling, and check the airline's rules and your insurance.
• Warning signs mean going to the hospital immediately.
• A transfer is decided on medical grounds, with a team adapted to the situation.

General information only — not personalized medical, legal or insurance advice. Your insurance contract and the treating physician's opinion prevail in your situation.