I am 6 weeks pregnant, and I will be flying tonight and again the day after Christmas. Do you think I should opt out of the full-body scanners at the airport? Has anyone read that they are dangerous for pregnant women? Do they just do a pat-down if you opt out? Tell me about your experiences with the airport scanners while pregnant!
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Oh I had no idea you could opt out...interested to hear if it's not good for pregnant women.
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I never opted out but I had some TSA agents who sent me through the old fashioned ones instead of the new ones when I was obviously pregnant. You can opt out, you'll just get a pat down. I can't say if they're bad for you or not, though...
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I never go through the scans. Only the metal detectors.
I definitely wouldn't go through one while pregnant.
No ones ever given me a hard time about it and I've only gotten basic pat downs. Sometimes they don't even bother with it. -
I did not opt out. I spoke with my doctor who said the scanners do not pose a risk to pregnant women and it was not necessary to opt out, but I could if it made me feel more comfortable.
I've had to be patted down before and it was not a pleasant or quick experience, so I did not want to go that route unless my doctor felt the scanners posed a risk.
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I did not opt out. You get exposed to elevated levels of radiation while flying, so it's not like that's 100% safe either if radiation exposure is your concern.
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@Bluebonnet: Good to know! I'll be flying out on Sunday, but I think 8 out of 10 times I've flown in the past, I've only gone through the metal detectors. Good to know I can go through the other scanners just fine too!
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Ask to go through the metal detector instead of saying "opt out". The last time I flew, I said "opt out" and had to wait awhile for a pat down. The lady told me to just ask for the metal detector next time to save time and to not be groped!
I have flown a few times while pregnant and have not gone through the scanner yet, just in case.
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I always opt out when pregnant for the pat-down. I know it's probably unnecessary, but I'm happy to not go through it and risk being overly cautious.
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I've opted out before but also gone through the machines. Be prepared for a *very* thorough pat down if you opt out.
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i opted out a couple of times, but the other times i went through. i read somewhere that you get more radiation from sitting on a plane than you do from the scanner. awesome.
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I did not opt out. I flew at 15 weeks. At the first airport, TSA took me through the regular detector. At the second, they didn't give a crap. I had already asked my doctor about it and he said there was no more risk than flying in an airplane (you get much more radiation flying than going through a scanner) so I didn't worry about it.
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Yes I refused to go through the scanner and I asked for a pat down instead
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@edelweiss: @ladyfingers: That's nice.... =\
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I just flew pregnant for the first time at 8 weeks and I did opt out. I asked te midwife and she said it was fine (said the same thing about more radiation on the plain) but he also said she opted out while she was pregnant. I'm sure it is a teeny tiny risk, but why not? It was my first pat down and it was fine, though it did take a while. The lady was nice and predicted I'm having a girl, randomly.
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I flew at 7 months and opted out and went through the metal detector instead.
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I opted out and they made me feel a little silly for doing it by telling me that it is only as much radiation as talking on your cell phone for 30 minutes and that I will probably be exposed to more radiation on the plane. That is all probably true, but they haven't been around that long and honestly I don't see anything wrote with minimizing my exposure as much as possible.
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I was going to opt out but I was only sent through the metal detectors anyway.
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I flew at 3 months and opted out and they sent me through the metal detectors.
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@tlcbaby: yes, the fact that they haven't been around that long worries me too. They also made me feel a little silly but whatever.
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I traveled at 24 and 28 weeks and I would have refused them also. They weren't in use when I flew, thank god.
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Call me crazy but this was one of the reasons why I didn't fly when I was pregnant. They had just started implementing the full body scanners, and I am crazy scared of radiation. I had a stress test done before I knew I was pregnant, and my LO was exposed to low levels of radiation. I was too paranoid to risk him being exposed to even more, no matter how little.
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I flew at 29 & 30 weeks. At 29 weeks it didnt seem packed and it was not busy so I asked for the metal detector. The guy was SO MEAN about it. Like seriously a total jerk when I asked, he said "well you are opting out then" so I had to get the pat down. A real nice gal did it and she was cool about it. When I flew back at 30 weeks I didnt want to deal with that again so I just went through the scanner. It is true about radiation levels while flying (I use to fly for my previous job) but I still have mixed feelings and thoughts on the scanners.
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