Study: Driving while pregnant is risky
Pregnancy comes with a lot of precautions. Women are told to avoid certain activities and certain foods; drink a lot of water, take prenatal vitamins, and exercise — but not to the point of exhaustion. And that's just the beginning!
A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal discovered that pregnant women were at increased risk for car accidents during their second trimester. The study compared the risk of a serious motor vehicle accident during the second trimester to the risk prior to pregnancy.
They studied women who gave birth in Ontario between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2011 — four years prior to giving birth and a year after the baby was born. The result? Women were 42 percent more likely to be in a serious accident during their second trimester than they were prior to pregnancy or even during the first or third trimester.
According to NPR, “During this period, the rate of ER visits because of traffic accidents shot up to about 7.7 visits per year per 1,000 women, from about 4.3 visits per year per 1,000 women.”
After the baby was born, the risk decreased compared to even the risk prior to pregnancy.
What does all this mean?
First and foremost, if you are pregnant, it is vital to drive carefully to avoid injury to yourself and to your baby. Dr. Donald Redelmeier, the E.R. doctor who led the study, said the study was not to get pregnant women to stop driving altogether or leave driving to their husbands — as nice would it be to have a nine-month excuse to have a chauffeur. As Redelmeier notes, young men have higher crash rates than pregnant women. So your husband driving you to work is not a good solution.
Now, let’s look at what to do with this information. If you discover you are pregnant between April and December and do not have health insurance, be particularly careful. Since open enrollment is over, without a qualifying event you have to wait either until the baby is born or until November to enroll in a plan that will cover your pregnancy starting Jan. 1. Short-term plans do not cover pregnancy or preexisting conditions, and most will not be issued if you are pregnant. You can also look into state options for coverage that are based on your income level and might cover your pregnancy.
If you have health insurance, then just drive carefully. Pregnancy can be both an exciting and overwhelming time. (Morning sickness, anyone?) If you are worried about how much having your baby will cost or find that your health plan isn’t ideal, get help in picking the right health plan.
Source: Bernard Health (bernardhealth.com)