Caution Against a Scuba Dive While Being Pregnant

Scuba dive while being pregnant is not highly encouraged by anyone. You are carrying precious cargo on board and it could be considered a risk with the unborn child. Pregnancy only lasts nine months, which leaves plenty of more time to scuba dive other times. Compared to a child's lifetime abstaining from diving while being pregnant is a drop in the bucket. Apparently, this piece of advice is shared among many. I did not come across any articles that stated going on a scuba dive while being pregnant was okay.

You may be able to scuba dive while being pregnant in the early stages such as the first two weeks and it will probably have no effect on the fetus since it does not attach to the uterus until after the first seven to ten days. Also, high levels of nitrogen or oxygen in your blood stream will not transfer to the baby until the time the baby is attached. At this point, the fetus is still made up of undetermined cells, which have not become the heart or the brain and if you were to scuba dive while being pregnant at this time, it should not cause any long-term damage. If one of these cells should get damaged, the other cells can still develop into that organ or body part.

The primary reason all of the articles I read said women should not scuba dive while being pregnant was the time factor. We are back to the idea that it is only nine months. A second reason women should not scuba dive while being pregnant was the method of treating diving injuries. If something goes wrong when scuba diving while being pregnant, the mother would have to undergo hyperbaric therapy and this could damage the eyes of the fetus, which are super sensitive, as well as other developing parts of the unborn baby. Even though some suggest that women could participate in a shallow scuba dive while being pregnant, something could still go wrong. There is also the possibility that the fetus may be more sensitive to water pressure and even this depth could be too much.

The third reason stated against women who scuba dive while being pregnant is the nature of pregnancy itself. A pregnant woman is more susceptible to morning sickness or seasickness and vomiting. Neither one of these conditions would be a pleasant experience while underwater and would put both the mother and unborn child at risk.

Some case studies have been performed on women who scuba dive while being pregnant show a possibility of birth defects, such as cardiac problems, multiple wedge-shaped vertebrae which cause neurological problems, a missing appendage, and pyloric stenosis which is severe vomiting in the first few months of life for the baby. Other birth defects can occur as a result of women who scuba dive while being pregnant.

The general consensus is that you should not scuba dive while being pregnant. The risk to the unborn child is not worth a few hours of pleasure under the water. If you have any questions or concerns that you are pregnant or went to scuba dive while being pregnant unknowingly, consult your Dr. as soon as possible.

Lawrence Martin M.D/http://www.lakesidepress.com/pulmonary/books/scuba/women.htm / SCUBA DIVING EXPLAINED