Full-body scanners at airport while pregnant

[HoneySpider]

If you have traveled while pregnant, do you go through the full-body scanners at the airport? It seems there is conflicting information on whether it is safe. I'm flying on Friday and I will just get the pat down since I would rather not risk it, even if it is a small risk. Thoughts?

[Ashley&Scott]

I only encountered a body scanner once during my pregnancy, I was about 20w & opted for a pat down.

ETA:
My experience wasn't at an airport, but at the St. Louis Arch. The female agent was super sweet & asked about the pregnancy. It was not traumatizing at all. I hope you have a good experience.

[londoncalling]

When I was pregnant, conflicting information = better safe than sorry for me. I'd take the pat down even now.

[Deleted]

I did the pat down even though they offered to let me read the safety info.

[HoneySpider]

I have to admit I am not looking forward to the pat down, some people have bad stories I guess I better get used to it though since my home airport has the full-body scanner.

[arch01]

I was told by my OB to avoid it. I opted for the pat-down. Whatever you do, don't wear a skirt. The TSA lady was less than kind and lifted up my skirt for everyone behind me to see. Commence breakdown. That whole experience was BAD. It included 2 TSA agents yelling at me when I was trying to tell my husband to grab my stuff so it didn't get stolen (we had 2 carry-ons, 2 laptops, our GPS and my purse) and then that. The agents weren't going to get it to set it aside (the return airport they did), it was just sitting there and I'd already been waiting for 3-4 minutes at the time for the female agent. They then told me to tell them what bags they were so they could tell DH, but I wasn't allowed to talk to him directly. It was a huge cluster.

My return experience was far better-the agent who did the pat-down was super sweet and asked me about the pregnancy. She then told me that she has advised her pregnant daughter to not go through the full body scanners-there's just not enough confirmed information on them.

[egishere]

I went through one when i was pg. My kids came out really cute!

[arch01]

Oct 23, 2012 9:20:47 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

I have always been with DD for this pregnancy, and they send us through the metal detector because of her. The scanners weren't yet operational by the time I gave birth to her, but every airport we fly out of/through has had both a metal detector and scanner. I'm assuming they would send me through the metal detector instead if they noticed I was pregnant, but I haven't flown alone.

I did ask about this and they said it was 100% random (though I don't believe that) and even if you're obviously pregnant, if you're picked for the full body you either do it or get the pat down, they "don't have the choice" to send someone visibly pregnant through the metal detector.

[cherry1111]

I opted for the pat down when I traveled at 11 weeks. I wasn't visibly pregnant and the TSA agents gave me the biggest eye roll and made me wait forever.

I know "they" say you are more exposed to radiation on the plane, but since the option was there to avoid it, that is what I chose.

[HoneySpider]

uncharch, experiences like your are what make me not look forward to this. Luckily MH will be with me this time and I will remind him to get my stuff. We also fly out of a very small airport so easier I guess to keep an eye on all of your stuff anyway.

[atouchofklasse]

I refuse to go through the scanners for a number of reasons. The pat downs are super annoying and useless but nothing to be scared of.

[arch01]

Oct 23, 2012 9:38:22 GMT -5 HoneySpider said:

uncharch, experiences like your are what make me not look forward to this. Luckily MH will be with me this time and I will remind him to get my stuff. We also fly out of a very small airport so easier I guess to keep an eye on all of your stuff anyway.

If it makes you feel better, our home airport has notoriously rude TSA agents. We don't fly often, I wore a skirt because of comfort, and we were not alone in getting yelled at... I can assure you that.

On the way home DH and I got separated, that airport started you in 1 line and separated you into 3, even if you were traveling together. When I explained to the agent who pointed me to the full body and I declined, then asked if I could flag down my husband to keep an eye on my things, he was great. DH got through much faster than me (he was through before I even declined the full body), and was waiting at the end. I could point and talk to him but couldn't move, which was expected. The agent and DH figured out what stuff was mine and the agent set it aside for me.

It's all a matter of who you gete. I can't say enough good things about our return experience, those agents were awesome. I'm already dreading flying out of our home airport next year with DS who will be 16 months old at the time.

[atouchofklasse]

It's anything but random IME.

[scribellesam]

I would have opted for the pat-down, but got sent through the metal detector instead each time I traveled while visibly pregnant. I got the feeling the TSA agents were sort of rigging the "randomness" so that I was never the next in line for the scanner, but maybe it was coincidence and I was just lucky?

[jenn248]

I've flown a few times while pregnant and opted out of the scanners. No one gave me a hard time about it, and the female agents who did the pat-downs were perfectly nice. I also didn't find that pat-downs to be all that intrusive either. I did have to wait maybe 10 min or so in Miami for them to find a female agent to do the pat-down (even though there were several female agents working the scanners and x-ray machines).

[biscoffcookies]

I traveled a good amount when pregnant with DD and always took the pat-down. I actually always take a pat-down now, since I object to the scanners on multiple levels, but when I was pregnant I was concerned about the effect the scanners could have DD's cells since they were young/developing.

"They" say that the radiation you get from the machines is less than the radiation you get from flying. That may be true but it is also somewhat misleading. The raditation from the machines is targeted directly on you and concentrated in nature, while the atmospheric radiation is more dissipated (for lack of a better term). So while the sum total of the exposure might be the same, the effects of the stronger/more direct radiation might be different.

There just isn't enough known about the scanners. I am also not inclined to credit the TSA's assertions that they are safe when (1) they won't allow independent testing and (2) they won't let their agents wear dosimeters to monitor radiation exposure and (3) any assertion that they are safe is premised on the machines being properly calibrated and maintained, which to be honest I don't give the TSA the benefit of the doubt on. Plus, the government has asserted things were safe before when they were not in fact safe (e.g. Agent Orange).

In any event, I have heard of too many doctors and/or people who have degrees in relevant fields express doubt that these scanners are entirely safe to feel good about going through them.

HoneySpider -- for what its worth, in all of my patdowns, I have never had a real issue. I have gotten eyerolls or other "seriously?" looks from the person at the machine who I told was opting out, but the agents performing the patdown have ranged from impersonal/businesslike to warm and friendly. Odds are good you won't have an issue.

[Deleted]

I opted for the freedom frisk. Both times it was fine. Wear pants, or wear spandex under a skirt.

[biscoffcookies]

Oct 23, 2012 9:46:25 GMT -5 arch01 said:

Oct 23, 2012 9:38:22 GMT -5 HoneySpider said:

It's all a matter of who you gete. I can't say enough good things about our return experience, those agents were awesome. I'm already dreading flying out of our home airport next year with DS who will be 16 months old at the time.

Uncharch, it might make things slightly easier, at least on the scanner front. If you are carrying a child, you are automatically routed through the metal detector (since you cannot hold the position needed for the scanners). I've never been patted down when going through the metal detector with DD, since I'm not technically an "opt-out" in those cases, nor given any hassle about carrying her through (including at IAD, which is not exactly known for the warm and fuzziness of its agents).

Sometimes they swab your hands for explosives if your LO is in a carrier, but that's easy and fast.

[arch01]

Oct 23, 2012 10:01:21 GMT -5 biscoffcookies said:

Oct 23, 2012 9:46:25 GMT -5 arch01 said:

Oct 23, 2012 9:38:22 GMT -5 HoneySpider said:

It's all a matter of who you gete. I can't say enough good things about our return experience, those agents were awesome. I'm already dreading flying out of our home airport next year with DS who will be 16 months old at the time.

Uncharch, it might make things slightly easier, at least on the scanner front. If you are carrying a child, you are automatically routed through the metal detector (since you cannot hold the position needed for the scanners). I've never been patted down when going through the metal detector with DD, since I'm not technically an "opt-out" in those cases, nor given any hassle about carrying her through (including at IAD, which is not exactly known for the warm and fuzziness of its agents).

Sometimes they swab your hands for explosives if your LO is in a carrier, but that's easy and fast.

Thanks. Depending on what his tolerance level is, I'd love to have him in the Ergo but I have a feeling he'll be too feisty and want to be in the stroller. I'm sure I'll be asking for tips come April

[Deleted]

I just had this issue last week. I opted out of the machine.

It took an extra 5-10 minutes. No big deal.

[jenny1223]

I was obviously pregnant and the very nice TSA agent in Seattle pulled me aside to go through the metal detector without me having to say anything. No pat down.

[sometimesrunner]

Apparently the scanners are safe and I would have no problem getting scan done while pregnant. I was 36w pregnant when I encountered one and the staff said "not for you" and had me walk through the metal detector. They weren't doing scans on everybody, just every 4th or so passenger.

[h]

I had to take four round-trip flights when I was between 5 and 10 weeks, and I did the pat down each time. I had to wait a little bit for an agent to do the pat down, but other than that, it was no big deal, and they didn't give me any crap about it.

[h]

Oct 23, 2012 11:00:58 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Oct 23, 2012 10:04:04 GMT -5 arch01 said:

Thanks. Depending on what his tolerance level is, I'd love to have him in the Ergo but I have a feeling he'll be too feisty and want to be in the stroller. I'm sure I'll be asking for tips come April

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I had to take DD out of the carrier to go through security (like they make you take off jackets). But that was a long time ago and I'm not confident in the memory.

I have traveled with babies in carriers quite a bit and have been asked to take them out every time.

[Deleted]

I opted out and asked for the pat down.

[nabum]

I flew a ton while pregnant. I always opted out, and every time the TSA agent just sent me through the regular metal detector rather than subjecting me to a pat-down.

[biscoffcookies]

Oct 23, 2012 11:10:34 GMT -5 h said:

Oct 23, 2012 11:00:58 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I had to take DD out of the carrier to go through security (like they make you take off jackets). But that was a long time ago and I'm not confident in the memory.

I have traveled with babies in carriers quite a bit and have been asked to take them out every time.

Perhaps this is one of those "layers of unpredictability" -- aka "policies subject to the whims of the agents at the checkpoint" -- that TSA is always talking about. I've taken DD through five different airports since she was born (she is 10 mo) -- some of those multiple times -- and have never been asked to take her out of her carrier.

Now I've said that, they will probably make me do so both at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[atouchofklasse]

I've never had to take my kid put of the carrier. Just went through metal detector and had hands swiped.

[h]

I don't know why I have always had to take my kids out of carriers! I always hear stories of other people being allowed to leave them in, but TSA always acts like I am crazy when I ask to do so. And this is in multiple different airports and with at least three different types of carriers. Ugh. So annoying! It has been a year or so since I have traveled with a kid in a carrier, so maybe I will have better luck next time.

[frlcb]

Technically you are not supposed to have to take the baby out of the carrier, per the TSA (and that rule changed last Fall I believe). But since the TSA is never consistent from city to city, or employee to employee, you may be asked to take the baby out. But I haven't had to the last 10 times I have flown with dd in one.