BootsnAll Travel Community

Does anyone know if there are any risks to pregnant women using DEET?

A friend of mine might be pregnant and is heading to an area where malaria is endemic and wants to protect herself, but is worried that using DEET might endanger her unborn child. Any feedback or advice?

A very wise question and a common concern. Short answer: DEET is well studied and safe for use by pregnant and breastfeeding women. Follow manufacturer instructions, with respect to dosing and application times.

Longer Version:

DEET is the most studied and most effective mosquito repellent on the market, today. A really well written article can be found in "Annals of Internal Medicine" issue 1 June 1998 | Volume 128 Issue 11 | Pages 931-940. Here's the link to: Mosquito Bite Prevention: A Clinician's Guide http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/128/11/931.

Also, the CMAJ (canadian medical journal)CMAJ • August 5, 2003; 169 (3) has a good article specifically about DEET in pregnancy. Here's that link: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/169/3/209

These two articles are pretty much the standard I use when I am looking at safety profiles of mosquito repellents.

There are a few other options, as well. Avon Skin-so-soft lotion has some anti-mozzi effects and is well tolerated in children and adults. The downside to this is that it requires more frequent applications for decent protection. The anti-mosquito properties are believed to come from either fragrance of the cream or the chemicals it contains, benzophenone and diisopropyl adipate. Citronella oil should aslo be mentioned, although it is not proven to be as effective as DEET.

DEET is a very well know compound and has a wide safety profile. The few reported adverse events associated with DEET have largely been in pediatric populations and associated with improper use (using far too much and too often).

Lastly, it is wise to confirm the diagnosis of pregnancy before her trip.

My blog has an article I wrote a few weeks ago about mosquito repellents. http://adventuredoc.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/mosquito-bite-prevention/. Hopefully, it will be useful, as well.

Best of luck with the trip!