Why can’t pregnant women dive? It is true that the fact of being pregnant does not prevent submerging, but the reality is that scuba diving is a totally inadvisable activity in the case of women in a state.

We can come to think that pregnancy and diving are compatible, since many of the symptoms do not prevent this sport. However, if we dive while pregnant, we risk suffering unintended consequences, both diver and fetus.

Studies of the effects of diving during pregnancy are limited, as women in the state cannot be used to test for possible harmful effects. Furthermore, animal research cannot be 100% comparable to human. Thus, there is a paucity of data and some uncertainty on this topic.

The reality is that it cannot be proven for sure that diving presents a risk to pregnant women, but it is always better not to risk. In this way we avoid harming the fetus or ourselves in any way. The ‘sacrifice’ of not immersing ourselves during pregnancy can be considered the best decision. Scuba diving is a wonderful sport, but nothing we can find underwater is worth so much as to risk the health of your future child.

Despite the animal studies, the uncertain (and even confusing) data obtained and the little experience in human cases mean that we cannot offer a firm conclusion about pregnancy and diving. Cases of abortion, premature babies, below normal weight in neonates, death during the first month of life and even birth defects or malformations have been detected … although none of them can be directly attributed to the practice of scuba diving.

All diving federations recommend not diving if you are pregnant. In case it is “impossible” not to dive (we do not know in what assumptions this circumstance would occur, perhaps in professionals who do dives every day), you should not do decompressive dives and also not dive more than 20 meters. There have been cases of abnormality in the fetus due to dives beyond that depth.

Even at shallow depths there is still a risk of pulmonary barotrauma, which may require recompression therapy and cause harm to the fetus. Fetal malformations can be frequent with repeated dives between 20 and 30 meters during the first trimester.

Diving involves an increased risk of injury during pregnancy. The decompression tables are not adapted to the profile of a pregnant woman and, in the case of decompressive disease, treatment with oxygen under pressure can pose risks to the fetus, as we have already discussed. If you are already in an advanced state of gestation, the thing is also complicated because it is not easy to move around with the whole team.

And not only in the baby can it suffer negative effects when diving while pregnant. The mother also takes risks. Pregnant women are more predisposed to dizziness, nausea and vomiting (especially in the first trimester), which can make it difficult to breathe underwater and cause accidents during diving.

During pregnancy, breathing requires more effort, in addition to the increase in the size of the fetus increases the pressure on the diaphragm. In an emergency, a woman in a state will see her abilities diminished and she will be exposed to hypoxia or pulmonary barotrauma.

Furthermore, from the fourth month of gestation, fluid retention and inflammation of the walls of the respiratory system make compensating more difficult, leaving pregnant women more exposed to barotrauma. The slightest bubble during the development of the fetus can be fatal.

And another important risk factor is possible infections. During pregnancy (especially in the third trimester), some women suffer small losses of amniotic fluid, which can lead to the entry of foreign organisms.

In conclusion, it has not been possible to establish a direct relationship between diving and fetal malformations and no safe limits have been established to immerse ourselves during pregnancy. The risks of diving to the fetus are still under investigation.

Diving again after pregnancy

It is possible to return to normal underwater activity once the quarantine has been abandoned, although it is always advisable to consult the doctor. It is essential to make sure that the wound is fully healed, to prevent possible vaginal infections.

In the event that the delivery was by caesarean section, it is convenient to wait for medical opinion, since the evolution of the wound produced by the excision can condition our return to the underwater worlds. They usually heal in their entirety at eight weeks, although better to be sure.

Breastfeeding is not a problem when diving, other than having to adapt your dives to the baby’s feeding times.