Pregnant women

As pregnancy is not an illness, air travel does not usually present health concerns for pregnant women. However, we recommend careful planning in consideration of your destination and schedule.

[Precautions before travel]

• Consult your physician in advance to see if it is safe for you to fly.
• Consult with your doctor if you have any systems such as bleeding or morning sickness, or if you have any complications including threatened miscarriage, anemia, or toxemia of pregnancy during pregnancy.
• Reduce stress as much as possible.
• The best time to travel during pregnancy is the stable period between 12 and 28 weeks.

[Cases when a consent form and medical certificate are required for international routes]
(Consent forms and medical certificates are always available at JAL offices)

• When the expected delivery date is in 4 weeks or less (36th week of pregnancy or after)
  • * When the due date is in 14 days or less, an obstetrician must accompany the expectant mother.
• When the due date is not certain.
• When multiple births may be expected
• When there were previous premature births.

[Medical certificates]

• The doctor responsible must fill in the due date, whether or not it is safe for the woman to fly, and any special precautions that should be taken during travel.
• Medical certificates must be completed 7 days or less before departure.
  * Click here to download the Medical Information Form (MEDIF) and examples of filled in forms.

[Precautions during travel]

• An aisle seat is recommended for easy access to the lavatories.
• Perform leg exercises during long flights.
• Fasten the seatbelt over a blanket so that pressure is not applied directly to the uterus.