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Diving & Pregnancy There is much that is not known about the potential dangers of diving while pregnant, largely because of the obvious ethical issues involved in researching them. The quantity, quality, power and consistency of study findings to date are far less than is desirable, but do tend to suggest that risks may exist. While no researcher has selected pregnant women to be subject to hyperbaric manipulation, women who independently have engaged in scuba because they: (1) didn't yet know they were pregnant; (2) where unaware it could be harmful to the developing fetus; and/or (3) needed to continue to make a living have been studied by survey. Studies include: (1) Bolton (1980) surveyed 208 pregnant divers; 136 had dived while pregnant for a total of 145 dived pregnancies. There was a greater number of fetal abnormalities in diving mothers compared with the non-diving group. (2) Betts (1985) and Bakkevig (1989) conducted survey studies and both observed an incidence of fetal abnormalities in the reported dived pregnancies. (3) An American Academy of Underwater Sciences (1986) symposium on women reported that still births are higher for women commercial divers than that of the general population. (4) The DDRC (1995) surveyed 116 women who had dived while pregnant for a total of 142 dived pregnancies. Although the spontaneous abortion rate between the women who had dived while pregnant and those who had not dived while pregnant did not differ, the women who had indulged in "holiday style" diving (multi-day, and consecutive day diving) compared with those who had not undertaken the same style of diving, reported more spontaneous abortions. Then of course there are the many animal studies, a number of which have noted increases in spontaneous abortions and a variety of fetal abnormalities, including cardiac and pulmonary malformations. Major organizations concerned with the question have uniformly suggested that scuba be deferred until after pregnancy. In a recent issue of Sport Diver, Joel Dovenbarger, R.N., Director of Medical Services, said: ''In the best of circumstances, recommendations are based on data -- solid research that is accepted by all parties. Unfortunately, on this issue total agreement does not exist. The big concern is of course AGE (arterial gas embolism -- an air bubble). You only need 4 feet of water to have an incident; AGE is, however, the least common decompression-related injury. ''Is there something about being pregnant that could lead to AGE? If you're in the water, breathing scuba, there is a risk. How big, we don't know. But pregnancy can have its side effects such as nausea commonly associated with morning sickness, delayed emptying of the stomach and increased acidity. What about a tight-fitting BC chest or waist strap? Could all of these things add up to an incident? They could. Additionally, this risk is not found in the majority of the diving population, so there may well be an increased risk. ''What effect on the fetus? We can't really say for sure, but theoretically, any treatment or problem the mother may have, from seasickness to getting chilled, will be passed on to the fetus.' Pregnancies are for nine months, but scuba is for a lifetime. It's reasonable to wait out the pregnancy and dive without incident rather than to dive while pregnant and worry about having a problem or actually having something happen (which can randomly occur, anyway!) and blame oneself for the poor outcome'.'' DAN's website, under a section entitled "Restrictions on Diving," states: "Because little is known about the effects of scuba diving on an unborn child, it is recommended that pregnant women wait to dive until after a pregnancy." The Guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2003) for exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period direct that, "...scuba diving should be avoided throughout pregnancy because the fetus is at increased risk of decompression sickness secondary to the inability of the fetal pulmonary circulation to filter bubble formation." This recommendation holds for those endeavoring to become pregnant as well. Should an individual inadvertently scuba during the very earliest stages of pregnancy, there seems to be little reason for concern about maternal or fetal health. However, Maida Taylor, MD, MPH, FACOG, a diving medicine and women's health expert, advises, "...no diving while pregnant or even trying to conceive...." This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual and should not be construed as such. © Doc Vikingo 2005
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