Is it safe to work as a flight attendant while pregnant?

For flight attendants, working during normal sleep hours 15 hours or more during the first trimester of pregnancy has been linked to increased risk of miscarriage in our study.

Are flight attendants at higher risk for miscarriage?

From a questionnaire administered to the flight attendants, researchers found that early miscarriage was about 2 times as likely for a pregnant flight attendant with high physical job demands compared to those without high physical job demands.

Why might airline attendants be at particular risk for miscarriage?

Conclusions: Miscarriage was associated with flight attendant work during sleep hours and high physical job demands and may be associated with cosmic radiation exposure.

What are the health risks of being a flight attendant?

Published Research. U.S. flight attendants have a higher prevalence of several forms of cancer, including breast cancer, uterine cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, thyroid cancer, and cervical cancer, when compared with the general public, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Do flight attendants get maternity leave?

Up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave plus 4 months of maternity disability may be combined for a total of 28 weeks per year.

Can flying cause birth defects?

Many healthcare providers and aviation health experts maintain that commercial air travel poses no special risks to a pregnant woman or her fetus. They argue that there is no convincing evidence that the incidence of miscarriage is greater in frequent travelers and flight personnel than it is in the general population.

Do you have to tell airlines you are pregnant?

You should be able to find the airline’s policy on their website. Most airlines don’t need you to tell them you are pregnant until 28 weeks. After that most airlines will want you to carry a letter from your GP or midwife saying: that you’re in good health.

Can flying cause stillbirth?

Broadly, yes – flying is no more dangerous for expectant mothers and their babies, provided the pregnancy is classed as “uncomplicated”. A straightforward pregnancy is termed as one where the mother doesn’t require additional care for a condition such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes.

How much radiation does a flight attendant get?

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements reported that aircrew have the largest average annual effective dose (3.07 mSv) of all US radiation-exposed workers. Other estimates of annual aircrew cosmic radiation exposure range from 0.2 to 5 mSv per year.

How many flight attendants quit?

And 85 percent of flight attendants said they had dealt with such passengers last year, according to a July 2021 survey by the Association of Flight Attendants-C.W.A., which represents attendants at 17 airlines. Fifty-eight percent said they had experienced at least five occurrences.

How long can flight attendants fly while pregnant?

Most commercial airlines allow pregnant women to fly up to 36 weeks of gestation.

What happens if you go into labor on a plane?

If there aren’t any medical professionals on board, the flight attendants will act as midwives and deliver the baby. This is likely to happen if there is no way they can make an emergency landing, and the flight simply continues to its initial destination.