Obtaining travel insurance in pregnancy

Planning a holiday while you are expecting can be a stressful experience, but having good comprehensive travel insurance in place can give you some peace of mind. You want to be sure that when you travel, your policy will be able to provide cover for the best healthcare possible.

Because pregnant women are seen as being high risk customers in insurance terms, the cost of travel insurance during pregnancy can be a good deal higher. Medically speaking, the safest time for you to travel is during the second trimester, with the first trimester carrying the highest risk of complications.

Insurers term the third trimester as being their highest risk period of travel. In medical terms, the riskiest time to travel is actually during the first ten weeks of pregnancy, but the risk to insurers is higher in the third trimester due to the increased likelihood of you requiring treatment for labour or for repatriation.

You will find that many airlines will accept pregnant passengers up until their 36th week of expectancy, so long as a note from a doctor can be shown to satisfy them that you are physically well enough to fly. Insurers on the other hand are not likely to insure anyone past their 28th week.

Besides timing your holiday so that you travel during your 2nd trimester, there are other things that you can do control the cost of your travel insurance. If you have any existing insurance products, particularly private medical insurance, or even a credit card, read through your policy details carefully. It could be that you are already partially, or fully, covered for overseas travel.

Looking for cheap insurance may be difficult, particularly during the latter stages of pregnancy, but there are a lot of insurers out there, and it is worth applying to as many as possible for quotes. Many insurers offer their cheapest rates to online customers, so use the internet to your advantage, including those useful price comparison sites.

While avoiding any trips while in the last stages of pregnancy is always advised, sometimes travel during this period is a necessity. In this case, finding a travel insurance policy is always more difficult, and more expensive. Some of the larger insurers will be willing to write up a specialist policy to meet your needs, or you could try a specialist insurance broker who may be able to offer you a slightly cheaper quote.

We are always advised to check the small print when signing any kind of policy, but when pregnant, his is doubly important. Many insurance companies stipulate exclusions relating to pregnancy in their insurance policy clauses. These especially relate to your due date, with most stating that you must return from your trip a full two months before you are due to give birth.