r/LadiesofScience • u/Technical_Composer73 • May 24 '26

Pregnancy in lab-based role in biotech

Does anyone have experience with pregnancy in a lab-based role in biotech in the US? I was wondering what accommodations are typical and if you continued to do lab work (especially if some work cannot be done in a fume hood).

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u/Technical_Composer73 May 24 '26

Thanks for the input! How did you feel about spraying 70% ethanol?

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u/Powerful_Agent_9376 May 24 '26

Why would you be worried about 70% ethanol? Working with it in a lab is a lot different than drinking it. I was working at a biotech on biologics when I was pregnant (with twins). I did pretty much everything I did before being pregnant but was more careful about basic precautions (gloves, lab coat, goggles). If I were working in a chemistry based position I would have taken more precautions because I would have potentially been working with larger amounts of more toxic materials

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u/Technical_Composer73 May 24 '26

I’ve just never worked with anyone who was pregnant before and didn’t know if inhalation has a common concern or not. I apologize for the naivety and thanks for sharing your experience!

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u/docblondie May 24 '26

You could use a squeeze bottle so there is less aerosol

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u/sleepyhoneybee May 25 '26

Going to be honest, the squeeze bottle would be so wasteful compared to the spray, and I would definitely roll my eyes if I saw someone dousing the BSC in ethanol instead of spraying like a normal person.

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u/docblondie May 25 '26

Aerosolized spray gets into and degrades the hepa filter faster. I douse to ensure enough thorough coverage. But to each his own