hey there bees. i posted on WB too but i was wondering if any of you know if it's okay to take malaria pills the month before you tcc. my husband and i will be on honeymoon in south east asia from dec 8-29th and then we start tcc first week of January. Will this or deet hurt my conception chances? will it affect sperm? can anyone suggest any alternatives? thank you.
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I am not sure about the pills but you don't have to use Deet. I think Avon and probably some other companies make bug repellent that does not contain Deet.
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Off now makes a deet free bug repellent. Don't ever use deet if you don't have to. It's evil.
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NO DEET! Don't do it! Eeeeeeevil Deet.
Malaria pills suck, as I understand it. The type my husband was on made him depressed. Some types of malaria pills are safe, some aren't. Try cross-referencing the varieties that are safe for pregnancy with the types recommended for the country you are going to.
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It depends what type of malaria pills you are on. Many are not safe at all. I would definitely ask a doctor (preferrably one that is knowledgeable about tropical diseases/medications). My mother took a certain kind while she was pregnant with my middle sister, and that sister has had growth problems her entire life which doctors directly attribute to the medication.
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P.S. It shouldnt matter what type of malaria pills your husband is on though.
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I don't know, I'd ask the doctor who's prescribing the pills.
I prefer not to use the DEET brands, but depending on where you're going, I can completely understand not wanting to get bitten. The non DEET brands, can do a pretty good job, but DEET does do an awesome job, despite the consequences.
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Thank you so much ladies. I have calls in with my OB/GYN and my Gen P but ofcourse no one is getting back to me. i hate the idea of deet but i feel like it might be the best alternative to poisoning myself with pills and ofcourse malaria is way worse. i also worry about dengue fever for which there are no pills so Deet may be necessary either way. it is much more affective i have heard than the alternatives. would only use in open spaces and only for the weeks i am away.
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You're going to Thailand and Burma right!?! I went to Thailand in 2002 and didn't do any extra shots or pills before I traveled there. I was fine throughout my trip and after. Are you going into the jungles, is that why you're going to take Malaria pills?
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For malaria pills, if you definitely need them, I would take Malarone. A lot of the malaria pills out there have really scary side effects but Malarone is a relatively new one (in the last 5 years or so I think) and it has fewer side effects. I took it whilst in Africa and had no side effects whatsoever.
As for Deet - yes, it is highly toxic stuff but in places like SE Asia, it is a necessary evil. The first time I went to Thailand, I brought 50% deet and a normal Off with about 7.5% deet. Let me tell you, the Off with the low deet did absolutely nothing! The deet, whilst incredibly toxic, worked wonders - as did wearing long sleeves and long pants at dawn/dusk. I'm pretty sure dengue carrying mosquitos are day time mosquitos so you really will need protection 24/7.
Whilst it stinks, I would use the deet and avoid getting a tropical illness that can make your life a thousand times more uncomfortable than the annoyance of using deet for a couple of weeks. One other thing with deet - make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching any plastic. We learned the hard way after realizing that the deet left over on our hands was eroding the plastic on our water bottles; we only realized it when we could taste the deet and plastic in the water we were drinking - gross.
I don't know the effects on TTC but I would think it wouldn't be that big of a deal. If you were actually pregnant already, I'd exercise a bit more caution, but I'd say you're probably ok to use it pre-TTC. That's my non-professional opinion though so I could be completely wrong!
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Do you really need malaria meds? I lived in SE Asia for a few years and traveled around a lot (I had to do a fair bit of traveling in really rural locations for work), and no one I knew took malaria meds.
I have been on malaria meds for travel in Africa though, and I very much second the recommendation for malarone. (I've done malarone and larium, and larium was... not good). -
As an aside, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SE Asia, and you're going to have such an awesome time. I'm totally jealous
Plus, December is a lovely time to be there. Best weather. -
@Lozza: i hope i don't need the meds. the CDC says malaria is low chance in thailand but moderate chance in Burma. i am thinking i might chance it and just use Deet and wear protective clothing whilst in Burma. i am SOOOO jazzed about the trip. we did India two years ago not long before we became engaged. i have always wanted to see this part of the world.
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@Ree723: thank you! this was amazingly helpful. @carrieknitscake: thank you! i think i may forgo them and just use the deet and clothing and nets. wish me luck
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@MrsMccarthy: My husband and I were in Africa last year and we both took Malarone while we were there. we had zero side effects. Malarone also should not affect your BC pills (there is a different kind that can, but not Malarone), and won't affect your fertility or your husband's fertility. And honestly, we used DEET while we were there too and we had no side effects from that. iT's not like you're inhaling it or spraying it into your face.
If the meds are recommended by your doctor (and I would go to a travel clinic to find out) I would DEFINITELY TAKE THEM. Honestly, i haven't heard of anyone getting any sort of negative side effects from Malarone. It's really really not worth the risk of getting malaria!
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@hilsy85: thanks doll. i have been off birth control pills for 5 months now but we use todays sponge till next month when we try. i am still waiting to hear back from my doctors. the CDC site says Burma is moderate risk and Thailand low so i think i might skip the pills and just use deet and protective clothing.
originally we were gonna go to africa and i think i remember you giving me some amazing tips from your trip on weddingbee
but it was just so much cheaper to go to South East Asia and due to my age we gotta get cracking on the family which means saving time! we really want to do africa later in life though and i think Thailand and Burma are gonna be amazing too.
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I used to work for a travel doctor and I'd recommend doxycycline which is basically a broad spectrum antibiotic, but is also antiprotozoal and used as an anti-malarial. Upside is that it should also stop UTIs or "Delhi Belly" while travelling as well. No larger consequences coming off it than if you were coming off antibiotics.
I'm not sure of the contraindications of DEET though. There are some things you can do - wearing long clothing is definitely spot on. Also, no bananas (mozzies love the smell of humans who have eaten bananas) and no perfumes (again, it attracts them). I would definitely check with your physician or a travel doctor about the period of time you should maintain between using DEET and TTC... that schizz is nasty!
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I really think you'll be fine without malaria meds. I've spent a ton of time in Thailand, and have spent a little time in Burma, and none of my friends or coworkers in either countries ever used malaria meds (and no one got malaria). (Dengue is a different story, but fortunately you're going in December, and dengue incidence spikes in July-September and drops off significantly in the dry season). You may not even really need repellent that often- I rarely used it.
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(this is assuming you're sticking pretty much to Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, etc. in Burma/Myanmar, and not backpacking through low-altitude forests or something)
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@Lozza: thanks. We were thInking of hiking up to golden rock, safe?
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Eh, I've never been to the pagoda, but it's a relatively well-touristed site, and you're going during a time of year when there's barely any rainfall and malaria incidence is at its lowest, so I personally probably wouldn't bother, but you have to do what you're comfortable with, and if you'll be worried, it might well be worth the expense and trouble to just take the malarone for those few days when you're outside Mandalay/Yangon...
I know that there's an issue with mefloquine (Lariam) resistance in some parts of SE Asia, so just take that into account if you do decide to get meds. (And doxycycline can gave some unpleasant side effects, I hate being on doxy).
Just out of curiosity, where are you headed in Thailand? -
@Lozza: awesomesauce! thank you so much for the suggestions. we are flying in to Bangkok and staying there for a few days while we apply for Visa to Burma. Then off to Burma for 10 days. Then spending Christmas and the final leg of our trip on the white sand beaches of thailand. we are looking into Koh Chang and Koh Lanta but still havent pinned down a spot. We want a sandy semi fancy but not too touristy hut right on the beach and facing the water preferably. good snorkeling and restaurants. AC and clean sheets for that section. Any Suggestions?
i spoke to my doc today and she said if i feel i need them she can prescribe some that shouldn't hurt me while we are trying in January. but she is basically making me decide. ARG! hahah
here is a good article i found on Deet:http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/01/health/la-he-summer-health-deet-repellents-20110601
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Oh, sounds like so much fun!
I spent some time in Koh Lanta, and stayed at the Pimalai (http://www.pimalai.com/en/kohLanta.asp). It was nice, if a little boring, but I was also there with my parents, so, um, different kind of vacation... it was very pretty, but also rather isolated (like, it would be a pain to leave the resort and have dinner somewhere else, if you wanted to). But if I were on my honeymoon I probably wouldn't care as much.
I've never been to Koh Chang, but my friends who went weren't as impressed with Koh Chang as they were with other beach locales in Thailand.
I'm not sure about snorkeling, but diving in December is much better in the Andaman Sea than Gulf of Thailand (summertime it switches, and if you were going in July you'd be better off in Samui or thereabouts for diving).
If you're in BKK over a weekend, definitely go to the Weekend Market at Chatuchuck, it's amazing. -
@MrsMccarthy: Bumping an old thread. How'd your trip go?
I just found out that I might be going to Vietnam for Thanksgiving. I'm TTC right now and *fingers crossed* I might be pregnant on my trip.
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@bluestriped bee: trip went great! i got unexpectadlypregnant on it!! i am holding my 6 week old son now. we did cambodia instead of burma though. didnt use any bug stuff. you will be fine me thinks. enjoy vietnam. my husband has been and said it was beautiful.
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