title: Pregnancy course and outcome in women traveling to developing countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The issue of travel to developing countries during pregnancy has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the rate, course, and outcome of pregnancies in women who traveled to developing countries while pregnant, or became pregnant during such travel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women visiting two major travel clinics in Israel for consultation within the years 2004 to 2009, who were pregnant or declared an intention of becoming pregnant during travel were contacted. This was followed by a telephone interview by an obstetrician with those women who were actually pregnant. Background characteristics, morbidity during travel, and pregnancy course and outcome were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 52,430 travelers' records had been screened. Of these, we identified 49 women who were pregnant during their trip, but 3 declined participation. Of the remaining 46 women, 33 were pregnant at departure, and 13 conceived during travel. The incidence of pregnancy during travel was thus 0.93/1000 travelers. Thirty-three women traveled to East Asia, 8 to South and Central America, 5 to Africa. More than two thirds of women received pretravel vaccinations. Adherence to the World Health Organization recommendations regarding food and drink was high (87%) and travelers' diarrhea occurred in only 11% of women. Five of 22 women traveling to malarious areas had taken antimalarial prophylaxis. Six women required medical therapy during travel. Pregnancy outcome was not different from the normal population except for an unusually low rate of preterm delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cohort, travel to developing countries was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Larger studies are needed to support these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Rami N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Sammour
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bahous
authors.forename: Moti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grupper
authors.forename: Gonen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ohel
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steinlauf
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Potasman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015984:Causality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003906:Developing Countries; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult