I am on a bioethics listserv that dishes out various interesting topics from across the world -- it is based in Australia, so provides a refreshing break from US bias. This article caught my eye. It raises the question of whether pregnancy tests should be required of women who are deployed. Apparently a few women are sent home from deployment each year due to being pregnant.
My first thought was, “Why not have them take pregnancy tests?” My second was, “Does the US do this?” I asked the Captain, but it turns out that, having never been deployed or a female, he couldn’t answer that.
The bit I find most interesting is that a few women have given birth while deployed because they didn’t realize they were pregnant.
Having given birth to one baby and having another on the way, I find it highlly unlikely that a woman could go through an entire preganancy, to term, and not realize they were pregnant. I could see a woman not knowing they were pregnant at the time they were deployed initially (assuming it was relatively early-on in the pregnancy), but not in the 9th month. Your body just changes too much to not notice something is up (even if a person has relatively little side-effects associated with pregnancy and even if a person is relatively out-of-tune with their body). The only way I think this could be even remotely possible is if a person is severly overweight (and even then hard to believe), but then I would think a person wouldn't meet the military's physical readiness tests.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe too, but they make a whole TV show about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Didn't_Know_I_Was_Pregnant). I have a feeling that being out of touch with your body and being in a strong state of denial go a long way together.
DeleteP.S. I don't know if your hubby passed on the congrats from us, but we did offer them to him!