Any kind of foreign travel requires some kind of travel insurance, but those travelling while pregnant need to be sure that they have as much travel health insurance in place as possible. Here we take a look at some travel insurance tips for expectant ladies. When you decide to travel is important.

According to health statistics, the period of time when it is least likely that a pregnant woman will develop complications is during her second trimester. This is therefore the safest time to book your holiday. 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. Some health insurance and even credit card policies come with some travel insurance included, and so taking a look at any of your existing policy details as these may show that you need less cover than you first expected. The internet can be a godsend when it comes to finding insurance, especially for specialist policies. Comparison sites make the contrasting of policy prices and details a good deal easier than phoning round companies individually. Trying as many insurers as you can for quotes is the key to finding the most affordable policy for you.

Women who cannot avoid travel during their third trimester may struggle to find an insurance company to cover them. If you have to travel, try a specialist insurer or broker, or speak to your existing insurer to see if they can tailor a special policy to meet your needs. This may cost you more, but it is far better than travelling without insurance. When you find an insurance policy that you like the look of, always check the small print as many insurers state pregnancy and related complications as exclusions in many parts of their policies.

The most common exclusion to look out for is that the insurance will not stand if the pregnant woman in question does not return home before her last 8 weeks of pregnancy.