Can you SCUBA Dive While Pregnant?
Candace Reno August 2nd, 2024 Posted In: Articles Tags: SCUBA
You just found out the exciting, life changing news that you are pregnant! Congratulations! This wonderful news has you searching for answers on whether anything you eat or do is good for pregnancy. So what about SCUBA diving? Can you SCUBA dive while pregnant? While there are benefits to SCUBA diving for a non-pregnant diver, the short answer is no, you shouldn’t dive while pregnant.
However, there are no SCUBA police out there telling you you can’t. Education about why SCUBA diving while pregnant is not a good idea is important to protect the life of the baby. The Divers Alert Network has excellent resources on SCUBA diving and pregnancy and breastfeeding questions.
Can You Go SCUBA Diving While Pregnant?
The Unknown of Diving While Pregnant
Can you SCUBA dive while pregnant? For starters, there is not a lot known about SCUBA diving and pregnancy because the research is difficult to get. However, based on what is known and at risk to occur should make any pregnant woman hesitant to SCUBA dive.
Furthermore, if you do SCUBA dive while pregnant and something is wrong with the baby when born, you might feel guilt that it may have been because you went diving, even if that isn’t the cause.
The Research Behind Diving While Pregnant
As you can imagine, getting any human research data on SCUBA diving while pregnant is difficult. There was one study from the 80’s that compared non-diving and diving pregnant women and found that there was 5.5% birth defects in the babies from those that dove versus 0% birth defects in those that didn’t dive. However, the researchers concluded that they could not say for certain that diving caused those defects in the babies.
Decompression Sickness
Every SCUBA diver has a small risk of decompression sickness while diving. Decompression sickness results from nitrogen bubbles forming and becoming trapped in tissues and blood. In adults, we exhale nitrogen through our lungs during the slow ascent, during the safety stop, and while on the surface between dives to get rid of the excess nitrogen and reduce the risk of decompression sickness. Even with all the prevention measures, there are many “silent bubbles” that adult SCUBA divers have that they do not know about because there are no symptoms.
These silent bubbles can be detrimental to a fetus. If nitrogen bubbles were to cross into the placenta, the baby could get decompression sickness. Because a fetus has not yet developed lungs or fully developed lungs, even silent bubbles can cause significant harm such as heart arrhythmias and spinal defects. In animal studies, the fetus actually got bubbles before bubbles were seen in the mother.
Hyperbaric Chambers
In animal studies, the answer to discovering if a pregnant woman can SCUBA dive pregnant was further researched. With the use of hyperbaric chambers, research showed that even exposure to hyperbaric oxygen causes significant defects in the litters of the animals.
As divers, we often forget that we are exposed to not just increased partial pressures of nitrogen, but also oxygen. This hyperbaric oxygen can be harmful to an unborn baby.
Pregnancy Symptoms
Besides the risks associated with increased pressure and diving, pregnancy symptoms could make it uncomfortable or impossible to dive. Pregnancy could cause swollen muscle membranes making it hard to clear the ears. Nausea could become worse out at sea. The growing belly can make gear, such as BCDs and SCUBA diving wetsuits, difficult to fit.
SCUBA Diving During Early Pregnancy
While there are risks to SCUBA diving while pregnant, many women do not know they are pregnant early on and may go SCUBA diving. This can cause concern in the new mother. However, most research has shown that this should be ok.
Not every case is the same, but you shouldn’t worry too much over the fact that you SCUBA dived when you were pregnant and didn’t know it yet. The important thing is to stop SCUBA diving once you know you are pregnant.
Breastfeeding
Now that you’ve had your baby, how soon can you go SCUBA diving? Can you SCUBA dive while breastfeeding?
It is up to your doctor and the type of delivery to determine when you can return to diving after giving birth. Usually, it is in as little as 3 weeks. However, most women can’t submerge in water for 6 weeks after delivery. Waiting 12 weeks or more is also important in some circumstances.
Breastfeeding does not mean you can’t go diving. Again, Divers Alert Network has excellent research on breastfeeding and SCUBA diving. Luckily, they have found no contraindications. Nitrogen does not cross into the milk. This means you can gear up and go diving during the breastfeeding phase as soon as you are cleared by your doctor to resume activities. However, SCUBA diving is dehydrating which can reduce milk production so drink plenty of water.
Prioritize Safety: Consult Your Doctor Before Diving
In the end, it is always best to consult with your doctor about when you can and can’t go diving, especially your ability to return to diving after giving birth. Play it safe and follow the current recommendations to NOT dive while pregnant.
