Is going to PNG for two weeks a bad idea in the first trimester of pregnancy?
July 14, 2010 7:40 AM Subscribe
I have just been asked to go to Papua New Guinea for work for about two weeks. Issue is, I just found out I'm pregnant. Should I still go?
I've been to PNG twice now (Port Moresby and Mt Hagen) so mostly know what I'm in for. However this time I imagine I would have to do a bit more traveling around, visiting urban settlements and talking to locals in their homes (I'm working on a health research project). I would probably be in Port Moresby for a bit, then travel to either Mt Hagen or Lae.
I just found out that I’m pregnant. Yay! But it’s super super early (ie about 5 weeks).
I’ve been to visit my travel doctor already, and he suggested that I should try to see if I could get out of it. His advice was that malaria is a real problem in PNG, and that it is a place where it is quite easy to catch things that can be seriously bad news for pregnant ladies. I kind of agree. But a doctor is never going to say, ‘just be careful and you’ll most likely be fine’.
But on the other hand, it’s not like I’ll be trekking the Kokoda trail or anything. I would be staying at relatively decent hotels and travelling mostly by taxis. However I would probably have to eat a bit locally, which doesn’t thrill me as last time I came home with giardia.
Apart from all the other nasties floating around there (dengue, cholera, swine flu), I really don’t know how to consider the malaria situation. Last time I was there (Feb this year, it was raining a lot) I didn’t take anything, I didn’t see a single mosquito and all was well.
I know that YANMD, but I would love some advice on how to make my decision. I’d really rather not have to disclose the pregnancy to work at this early stage. I also don’t want to be a pregnant princess unwilling to leave my castle grounds. But I also don’t want to be blasé about the potential risks.
Advice, comments and anecdotal reports very welcome. Thanks.
Additional info: I had the Typhoid vaccine about this time last year, but my Hep A-C shots are not current. Anonymous because I haven’t announced that I’m pregnant to anyone yet, and would prefer to tell people directly, rather than have them find out through askmefi.
I've been to PNG twice now (Port Moresby and Mt Hagen) so mostly know what I'm in for. However this time I imagine I would have to do a bit more traveling around, visiting urban settlements and talking to locals in their homes (I'm working on a health research project). I would probably be in Port Moresby for a bit, then travel to either Mt Hagen or Lae.
I just found out that I’m pregnant. Yay! But it’s super super early (ie about 5 weeks).
I’ve been to visit my travel doctor already, and he suggested that I should try to see if I could get out of it. His advice was that malaria is a real problem in PNG, and that it is a place where it is quite easy to catch things that can be seriously bad news for pregnant ladies. I kind of agree. But a doctor is never going to say, ‘just be careful and you’ll most likely be fine’.
But on the other hand, it’s not like I’ll be trekking the Kokoda trail or anything. I would be staying at relatively decent hotels and travelling mostly by taxis. However I would probably have to eat a bit locally, which doesn’t thrill me as last time I came home with giardia.
Apart from all the other nasties floating around there (dengue, cholera, swine flu), I really don’t know how to consider the malaria situation. Last time I was there (Feb this year, it was raining a lot) I didn’t take anything, I didn’t see a single mosquito and all was well.
I know that YANMD, but I would love some advice on how to make my decision. I’d really rather not have to disclose the pregnancy to work at this early stage. I also don’t want to be a pregnant princess unwilling to leave my castle grounds. But I also don’t want to be blasé about the potential risks.
Advice, comments and anecdotal reports very welcome. Thanks.
Additional info: I had the Typhoid vaccine about this time last year, but my Hep A-C shots are not current. Anonymous because I haven’t announced that I’m pregnant to anyone yet, and would prefer to tell people directly, rather than have them find out through askmefi.
I see now that PNG has Chloroquine-resistant malaria. How about Mefloquine? Warning: It gave my father some trippy dreams when he was on it. Maybe a plus?
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 8:09 AM on July 14, 2010
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 8:09 AM on July 14, 2010
I have a friend who spent a good portion of her pregnancy commuting between China and Africa, doing health policy work. (She intended to give birth back in the U.S. but accidentally gave birth in China! Whoopsies.) This is all very doable, including consuming necessary medications and local foods, but your mileage—and doctor's advice, and your personal medical history—will vary. One thing to consider is that, if this is your first pregnancy, you may be a bit anxious and not know what to expect from your body! And that's totally reasonable; there's also no reason you shouldn't coddle yourself as much as you see fit. The majority of your decision is about your emotional and mental comfort levels, and less so regarding the medical ones. (Although, pregnant or not, giardia is no treat.)
Still, I do disagree a bit when you say "a doctor is never going to say, ‘just be careful and you’ll most likely be fine.'" Actually I think a number of doctors do say that, including to pregnant women. And as a travel doctor, if he has concerns about malaria and the like, you should take them seriously, although it's up to you whether that means how you medicate yourself or whether you go.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:20 AM on July 14, 2010
Still, I do disagree a bit when you say "a doctor is never going to say, ‘just be careful and you’ll most likely be fine.'" Actually I think a number of doctors do say that, including to pregnant women. And as a travel doctor, if he has concerns about malaria and the like, you should take them seriously, although it's up to you whether that means how you medicate yourself or whether you go.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:20 AM on July 14, 2010
Warning: It gave my father some trippy dreams when he was on it. Maybe a plus?
Mefloquine is the generic of Lariam--Google for Lariam psychosis or Mefloquine psychosis if you want to terrify yourself, although as far as I know there are no extra risks for pregnant women and most people do not experience major side effects.
posted by phoenixy at 8:29 AM on July 14, 2010
Mefloquine is the generic of Lariam--Google for Lariam psychosis or Mefloquine psychosis if you want to terrify yourself, although as far as I know there are no extra risks for pregnant women and most people do not experience major side effects.
posted by phoenixy at 8:29 AM on July 14, 2010
Honestly I'm all for adventure and not letting kids slow you down, but you are in the early stages of pregnancy, a time that's going to have serious implications for you and your child as far as development goes. It's one of those probably everything will be totally fine but if it isn't you could be up shits creek.
posted by sully75 at 9:11 AM on July 14, 2010
posted by sully75 at 9:11 AM on July 14, 2010
I'm no expert, but to me it does not seem to be a good idea to go to the tropics when you're in the early stages of pregnancy.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:54 AM on July 14, 2010
posted by KokuRyu at 9:54 AM on July 14, 2010
I'm 23 weeks pregnant right now. For the first 13 weeks of this pregnancy, I could barely do anything except sleep, throw up, and take extremely basic care of my preschooler. PNG is probably perfectly safe for you outside of the malaria complications (which could be serious; my doctor and my midwife say "just be careful and everything will likely be fine" ALL THE TIME) but I would absolutely positively not want to be doing any travel in that first trimester.
posted by KathrynT at 9:57 AM on July 14, 2010
posted by KathrynT at 9:57 AM on July 14, 2010
If it were me, I wouldn't take the chance. Even if chances are small (of some unfavorable outcome), the stakes are way too high.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:03 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:03 PM on July 14, 2010
Congratulations!
About half of pregnant women have nausea/morning sickness, or what I like to refer to as "all day and all night sickness." When is the trip? Can you wait to decide until you know if you are going to be one of the nauseated ones? It usually happens beginning at 6 or 7 weeks along.
posted by Knowyournuts at 12:04 PM on July 14, 2010
About half of pregnant women have nausea/morning sickness, or what I like to refer to as "all day and all night sickness." When is the trip? Can you wait to decide until you know if you are going to be one of the nauseated ones? It usually happens beginning at 6 or 7 weeks along.
posted by Knowyournuts at 12:04 PM on July 14, 2010
Could your doctor write you a note or something to say that you have a medical condition that should prevent you from going WITHOUT specifying right away that it's pregnancy?
I have no idea if you should go or not, but looking into finding out if you can get out of it without saying right now why you don't want to go might be an option.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:35 PM on July 14, 2010
I have no idea if you should go or not, but looking into finding out if you can get out of it without saying right now why you don't want to go might be an option.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:35 PM on July 14, 2010
How old are you? Sadly, 20% of pregnancies do miscarry in the first trimester (and more if you are older) so another important question is do you want to be on a plane or away from your doctor if that did happen? It can be painful, distressing and sometimes you need medical care. So I would also take that into account even though it's obviously less likely to occur than everything being just fine either way.
posted by Maias at 6:16 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by Maias at 6:16 PM on July 14, 2010
I think it really depends on what part of PNG you are going to - Port Moresby, Mt Hagen, Goroka and Lae should both be fine as long as you're careful about food and water. I lived in Port Moresby for three years and the worse that happened to me was the usual oops I drank tapwater and will now spend 24 hours on the toilet thing. And I did a lot of swimming in rivers, hiking in rainforests and staying in villages. I did get malaria (three times in one year no less) but I definitely picked it up in Yebo, which is on the coast and a known malaria hotspot. Lae does have a substantial cholera problem at the moment (they're putting people in tents outside the hospital) but my parents live there and don't know of any expats (ie. people living in western style accomodation)who have got it.
Do sort out your contingency plans for what you will do if something does go wrong medically. I assume your company would medivac you to Cairns which is standard procedure for expats. You most definitely do not want to get treatment in any PNG hospitals. That said PNG is a beautiful country and I would jump at any opportunity to visit. Has your doctor even been there? I know a lot of people in Australia think you will get raped/shot/eaten/infected with HIV and he may be speaking from a similar mindset.
posted by Wantok at 7:15 PM on July 14, 2010
Do sort out your contingency plans for what you will do if something does go wrong medically. I assume your company would medivac you to Cairns which is standard procedure for expats. You most definitely do not want to get treatment in any PNG hospitals. That said PNG is a beautiful country and I would jump at any opportunity to visit. Has your doctor even been there? I know a lot of people in Australia think you will get raped/shot/eaten/infected with HIV and he may be speaking from a similar mindset.
posted by Wantok at 7:15 PM on July 14, 2010
I know plenty of people (Westerners) who have visited or lived in PNG while pregnant. If you take the precautions mentioned upthread, you should be fine, but you need to be aware that there will of course be an increased risk. There is also a very low standard of medical care available. Before you go, please make sure you get medical insurance that specifically covers you if something goes wrong. I also recommend that, if your country has an Embassy/High Commission in PNG, you give them a call. Feel free to mefimail me if you'd like to discuss.
posted by Lucie at 3:36 AM on July 23, 2010
posted by Lucie at 3:36 AM on July 23, 2010
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As far as nutrition goes, bring pre-natal vitamins and lots of your own food. Drink and brush your teeth with bottled water or water you filtered yourself. All and all, I imagine you'll be fine but of course nothing is 100%. If you have issues with fertility and are otherwise really fearful of losing this particular pregnancy, then act accordingly.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 8:01 AM on July 14, 2010 [1 favorite]