As a physician (pathologist and epidemiologist) and a beekeeper with a
beekeeping wife who's trying to get pregnant, I suppose I should be able to
speak with some authority on this.  The question can be divided in two:
 
Will the physical strain of beekeeping aversly affect the pregancy? and
Could sting-related factors (sting toxin, antibiotic response) adveresly
affect the pregancy?
 
Every case is different, and to one's own caregiver one must defer, however,
the general rule for exercise during pregancy is that a woman should neither
take up some new exertion nor should she fail to continue regular healthy
exercise.  Assuming beekeeping has already been a part of her life, I see no
reason why it couldn't continue.
 
As far as stings and reactions to stings, I know no evidence that any
pregnancy has been adversely affected by any response other than anaphlaxis.
If she's not sting-sensisitive now, there's no reason to believe she would
become so. Of course, every woman's an individual, but the point is that
there's no blanket reason to deny her beekeeping, if she wants to keep at it.
 
On the less scientific side, I can see why a woman might want to continue or
stop beekeeping while pregnant.  The excited feeling we all get when opening
a hive and seeing nature at work might be all the more when with child.  On
the down side, pregnancy can be uncomfortable, tiring, and hot, especially
inside a suit and veil under the sun.  Let the woman have her own way and
all will be well in the universe.
 
Tim Cote MD MPH
 
 
At 12:47 PM 11/24/96 GMT, you wrote:
>Hi All. I don't know if this is the right place for this question, but a
friend of mine has
>recently beecome pregnant (I am not the cause of this!) and wants to know
the risks of continuing
>her beekeeping during next summer.
>
>I don't know if this is of general interest and is not strictly a question
on bee biology so please
>mail me direct with input.
>
>many thanks
>
>Steve Pearce
>Kilspindie
>Scotland
>
>
 
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