Potential risks of ‘babymoons’

Re: What’s a babymoon? — Nov. 3

Laura Booth’s story describes the “babymoon” trend — a vacation taken by a pregnant couple prior to the birth of their child. As an obstetrician and an infectious diseases specialist, respectively, we are concerned that this story did not adequately highlight certain risks of travelling during pregnancy.

First, the article only mentioned Zika virus in passing, and implied that Zika was only a temporary concern last year. In fact, Zika still poses a real potential threat to pregnant travellers. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommend that pregnant women avoid travelling to areas with ongoing Zika transmission, including most of the Caribbean and Mexico. The story should have explicitly warned pregnant travellers against going to Zika-affected countries. A travel agent who was interviewed described the popularity of the Caribbean and Mexico as babymoon destinations, despite these areas having ongoing Zika transmission. Zika infection in pregnant women can cause significant birth defects, including microcephaly (when the baby has a small head, with incomplete brain development). The diagnosis of Zika and its complications can be difficult; pregnant women with suspected Zika require closer monitoring by their obstetrician, including more blood tests and ultrasounds, and potentially also amniocentesis. Surveillance data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows that there have been 523 documented travelrelated cases of Zika in Canadians; 37 cases have been reported in pregnant Canadian women. In two of these cases, the babies were found to have Zika-related abnormalities. Although the number of reported Zika-related birth defects in pregnant Canadian travellers is currently low, the consequences of Zika in pregnancy can be severe and irreversible.

Second, although the story does recommend purchasing travel insurance, it should have been more explicit about the potential financial risks of travelling during pregnancy. It warns that some insurance companies may not cover pregnant women close to their due date, but should also have mentioned that some companies may not cover any pregnancy-related complications, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. Additionally, most insurers will not cover any medical or transportation costs for a baby that is born prematurely outside of Canada, which can be emotionally and financially devastating for a family.

Although “babymoons” can be a chance to relax before having a baby, couples should discuss with their health-care providers the potential medical and financial risks of travelling during pregnancy. They should be explicitly counselled to avoid Zika-affected areas, and should be aware of the limitations of travel medical insurance during pregnancy. Dr. Jennifer Schnarr, obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Theresa Liu, infectious diseases specialist Grand River Hospital Kitchener