Zika test

[Anonymous]

My fiance and I are travelling to Colombia, Nicaragua, and Peru in December. He's 37 and I'm 32, and we're both eager to start trying to conceive. He doesn't mind waiting until next summer to start trying (6 mos. post travel), but I could have easily scrapped the trip to start trying sooner. I ultimately decided that we both need to feel completely ready, and his heart is set on this one last big trip before kids (hopefully), so I agreed to wait until next summer. I guess this is wishfuk thinking, but what I'm wondering is do we absolutely have to wait 6 months, or would it be possible to take tests to rule out Zika exposure before then?

[Anonymous]

Personally I don't think 6 months I long enough but you do you.

[Anonymous]

Basically no one has any answers regarding how long it stays in your system. If you are trying to conceive in the next year you should not go. My DH and I had to scrap plans to go SE Asia for our honeymoon because of it, and yes it was a giant pain in the ass but ultimately worth it.

[Anonymous]

No one cares about Zola anymore. Do you think women in those countries just aren't having babies?

[Anonymous]

I’d ask your doctor. Mine told me to wait 3 months if I had no symptoms.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I just feel super anxious about the whole process since I am dying to have kids and feel like I'm being forced to wait against my will. I feel eager to get started, since I'm not that young and have no idea how this process of trying to conceive will go. It's extremely important to me to become a mom, since I lost my mom when I was a kid and my dad basically abandoned my brother and me for alcohol. I've been a teacher for the past ten years, so have loved so many kids, but have not yet been able to have my own.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like maybe your fiancé isn't that eager to start trying.

[Anonymous]

I think you can get tested right when you get back (within a week or two). Call your insurance. The test may be expensive but perhaps worth it in your case. Don't wait until you get back to figure it out.

While traveling, wear pants and long sleeves, bug spray, etc. you won't prevent all bites but you'll do what you can.

[Anonymous]

If you were that “eager”, you wouldn’t be making this trip.

[Anonymous]

Sibley has a maternal fetal medicine team who can administer the test. WE did it when my husband had to travel for work. Keep in mind the tests are not fool proof but could give you piece of mind.

If your husband does get zika you will have to wait at least 6 months before TTC.

[Anonymous]

You are going in the worst possible time of the year. That said, my DH is Brazilian and we both traveled to Brazil when I was pregnant with DS1 (2 years before he whole Zika craziness started) and my husband traveled there several times before and after I got pregnant with my second (secobd DD is almost 2)... ask doctors (in the US and in Latin America) what you are supposed to do.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm concerned about the view your interesting travels end after kids. They don't have to.

[Anonymous]

You should talk to your OB/Gyn. Ideally, you could both get tested two weeks after returning from SA. However, your insurance may not cover it.

[Anonymous]

I'd be comfortable with 6 months, but maybe I don't know enough.

The other benefit of waiting until next summer, if it matters to you, is enough time to get married before being pregnant. I don't have any.moral opinion on the whole thing, but a wedding is way more fun when you are feeling your best and don't have a little kid to chase around. What if you consider this trip your "early honeymoon," get married, then ttc next summer? It would give you some fun things to look forward to while you're waiting out the zika issue.

[Anonymous]

I just got back from my OB/Gyn last week, and we have been told to wait 6 months following our holiday travel before trying to conceive; we've also been trying since this past spring and no luck (pcos). Since we booked the trip last month, we've taken a pause on the trying. I'm willing to wait given the risk, and I'm really looking forward to SE Asia and spending time with my DH. Trying to conceive is stressful, so we're just taking a slight break and enjoying each other