If you have already begun your prenatal care in your home country you know that there are usually a number of tests involved.  Depending on your itinerary and the nature of your travel, you may be well advised to have even more tests before your trip.

Probably the most basic function of prenatal care is to establish, as clearly as possible, what your due date is.  Whatever else happens in your pregnancy, what will be done about it depends to a large extent on how far along you are in the pregnancy.  Airlines and cruise lines also will likely not allow you to travel without a clear knowledge of your due date.

Unless you are absolutely sure of your last menstrual period, the most reliable way to establish your due date is an early ultrasound.  The advantage of having an ultrasound is that it also warns you of other problems that might occur and make your trip inadvisable.  A “blighted ovum”, for instance, means that you will likely have a miscarriage.  Not something that you want to have happen far from home.  The same can be said of a tubal pregnancy.  An ultrasound might also pick up such impending problems as twins, a breech baby, an incompetent cervix or a placenta previa—all conditions that may cause you to reconsider your travel plans.

Of the blood tests you have, probably the most important to know is your blood type.  If you are from North America or Western Europe, there is a good chance that your type is Rh negative.  This blood type is very rare in much of Africa and the Far East and may require special arrangements on your part.

Most obstetricians nowadays routinely check for infectious diseases such as HIV, syphilis, rubella and hepatitis B.  There are several other infections, however, that you might become exposed to during travel, especially if going to developing countries.  Other blood tests may be advised to check for immunity to measles, chicken pox, whooping cough, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus and hepatitis A.  If you are not immune to these, you may need to take special precautions to prevent them or to have vaccines against them (vaccines are covered in another chapter.)

Before you go on your trip, spend some time with your doctor or midwife to learn how best to handle some of the common pregnancy discomforts such as headache, nausea, heartburn, constipation and swollen feet.  And have your provider teach you the signs of a serious situation that requires medical consultation.  How much bleeding, for instance, should prompt you to find a doctor?  And how many contractions are too many?  And how do you tell if your water broke or if it’s just your bladder acting up?

Finally, get a copy of your prenatal record and carry it with you.  You never know when you may need it.

A PRENATAL CHECKLIST FOR YOUR OBSTETRICAL PROVIDER