Taking a flight while pregnant post stroke

[kgbg]

Hi there,

My wife had a stroke 4 years ago and has almost fully recovered since then. We went on many trips in the past few years and took the plan few times.

She is now pregnant, 4 months, and her family doctor told us it is ok to travel this summer (we planned a trip to Europe).She will be 5 months at that time.

She is now seeing an Ob and he said he does not recommend travelling because of blood clots risks.

We are a bit devastated since we planned the entire trip based on the family doctor approval and now we are told it's risky one month away from the trip.

Do you think there's a high risk for a pregnant woman that had a stroke 4 years ago to take a flight ?

Thank you

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello, welcome to the forum.  Your wife seems so young to have had a stroke and we are glad to hear she has recovered.  Also, congratulations on the pregnancy.  Your wife's ob/gyn has your wife and baby's best interest at heart.  This specialty would be in a better position to guide you for the risks than your primary care family doctor.  I'm very sorry that this is not good news for the trip you've scheduled.  Blood clots and pregnancy are a risk and perhaps your family doctor as this is not their area of expertise does not realize this. Statistics show that long flights can double the risk of blood clots.  While blood clots during pregnancy are not terribly common, they are more common than when not pregnant.  Couple this with the fact that your wife has a medical history in which precaution makes more sense and this is likely why your ob/gyn gave the recommendation to not take this trip.  Deep Vein Thrombosis is more of a concern when pregnant because of the change in blood flow as well as weight gain that is taking place.  Sitting for extended period of time on a plane creates a situation in which the blood clots can develop. This can possibly be avoided by frequent movement and standing up walking throughout the cabin of the plane.  Speak to the doctor again to see if a strategy of this kind of movement would alleviate their concerns.  

Let us know how this transpires and we wish you and our wife the best of health.