Travel During Pregnancy: Results From an Ultrasound Unit-Based Questionnaire

The frequency of domestic and international travel among women residing in the United States, and specifically Wisconsin, during pregnancy is not known. Given the recent epidemic of Zika virus disease, clinicians should be aware of the frequency of travel during pregnancy and should inquire about travel by pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and their sexual partners.

Due to the Zika epidemic, our obstetric ultrasound center added questions about international and domestic travel to a general health form that is routinely distributed to all patients presenting for anatomic ultrasounds. The forms were then collected and recorded in order to provide an estimate of the frequency of travel during the first half of pregnancy.

Of 1,256 women screened, 64 (5.1%) traveled internationally and 498 (39.6%) traveled domestically prior to their anatomic ultrasound. Additionally, 77 (6.1%) women screened reported international travel by their sexual partner. Among international travelers, 20 (28.1%) traveled to destinations with active ongoing transmission of Zika virus disease, and 16 (25%) traveled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel alert for the area. Among domestic travelers, Florida was the sixth most common destination, and Texas was the 10th most common.

In the population of women screened by this questionnaire, 5.1% traveled internationally and 39.6% traveled domestically prior to their anatomic ultrasound. Notably, Florida and Texas are common travel destinations among women at this clinic, and both have had active local transmission of Zika virus.