Experts recommend that pregnant women avoid riding motorbikes, especially on long and bumpy roads, as it can pose significant risks to both the mother and the baby. To ensure maximum safety, it's advisable for pregnant women to limit long-distance travel on motorbikes during their pregnancy.
1. Is it safe for pregnant women to ride motorbikes frequently?
Motorbikes are a popular mode of transport due to their convenience and ease of use. However, pregnant women should consider reducing their motorbike travel. As the pregnancy progresses, a growing belly makes it increasingly difficult to maintain balance, which raises the risk of falls and related accidents.
Riding a motorbike during pregnancy can present the following risks:
Changes in hormones during pregnancy cause pregnant women to experience symptoms such as fatigue, morning sickness, etc., leading to discomfort when driving. In most cases, pregnant women need to limit driving during pregnancy to avoid affecting the fetus;
Pregnant women riding motorbikes are prone to losing balance and falling due to their large belly and slower reactions than normal;
Many small, bumpy roads make pregnant women riding motorbikes bumpy and have a negative impact on the fetus;
Most motorbikes are very heavy, so moving, pushing and parking will be very difficult for pregnant women.
Normally, pregnant women in the first 3 months of pregnancy (first trimester) are at lower risk of risks when riding motorbikes than in the later stages of pregnancy. Because in the final stage, the fetus grows larger, the pregnant woman's belly becomes larger and the body becomes heavier, less flexible and prone to collisions. Even minor collisions can cause the mother to be psychologically agitated and can lead to premature birth. Pregnant women with a history of threatened miscarriage, miscarriage or complications such as placenta previa, placental abruption, etc. should limit traveling by motorbike.
2. Notes for Pregnant Women Riding Motorbikes Long Distances
Experts recommend that traveling by motorbike is significantly more dangerous for the average person compared to traveling by bicycle or car. This risk is even higher for pregnant women due to their growing bellies and an increased likelihood of losing balance, especially for pregnant women riding motorbikes long distances. To ensure their safety, pregnant women are advised against traveling by motorbike during pregnancy. If it becomes necessary to ride a motorbike, pregnant women should take the following precautions:
Wear a qualified helmet even when driving or sitting behind someone else's motorbike;
Do not wear high heels when riding a motorbike;
Do not ride a motorbike during rush hour because it is easy to get stuck in traffic and have an accident;
Avoid riding a motorbike for a long time because pregnant women sitting on a motorbike for a long time can easily cause the uterus and pelvis to be compressed, causing poor blood circulation and affecting the fetus;
Wear a fluorescent jacket that is easy to see from a distance when riding a motorbike at night;
Do not ride a motorbike when it is raining or after a rainstorm because slippery roads can easily cause accidents;
Adjust the rearview mirror to suit your vision so that you can observe the traffic behind and control the vehicle best;
Drive at a slow speed, limit overtaking other vehicles on the road and pay attention to stable operation, stay calm to ensure the safety of the fetus from being strongly affected;
Use a small, easy-to-drive motorbike and regularly maintain and check the vehicle to avoid the situation of the vehicle breaking down in the middle of the road.
3. Some alternative means of transport to motorbikes
Pregnant women should limit traveling by motorbike as much as possible, especially on long trips, pregnant women should absolutely not ride motorbikes long distances. Using alternative means of transport to motorbikes in this case is extremely suitable, including the following means:
Airplane: The development of the aviation industry today with technology to reduce air pressure in the aircraft cabin helps ensure the safety of pregnant women traveling by this means. Recommendations from experts indicate that pregnant women only need to be cautious when traveling on long flights and pay attention to the quality of medical services at the transit and landing locations. In addition, pregnant women with sickle cell anemia, severe anemia, fetal problems or a history of phlebitis are relatively contraindicated when traveling by plane;
Cars: Pregnant women traveling by car should wear a seat belt over the hips, not the abdomen, to ensure that the thighs and shoulders do not move when the car is in a collision. After 2 hours of travel, the car should be stopped to relax and go to the toilet to help the bladder relax, prevent urinary tract infection, etc.
Trains: Trains are considered one of the safest means of transport for pregnant women, similar to cars and planes. All requirements for keeping pregnant women healthy are also implemented similarly to the above means of transport.
Therefore, pregnant women should limit traveling by motorbike to ensure the health and development of the fetus. In case of having to travel far, using alternative means of transport to motorbike is extremely suitable.
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