Prenatal Radiation Exposure
In early pregnancy the cells of the unborn child are diving rapidly, and large doses of radiation can be hazardous. Therefore pregnant women should avoid exposure to x-rays if at all possible. If you've had x-rays then later discovered that you were pregnant, it's understandable you would be concerned. The good news is that according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), a unborn child exposed to 1 rem of radiation has less than one chance in a thousand of suffering birth defects as a result of the exposure, even if exposed during the most critical stages of development (3 to 8 weeks of pregnancy). The "natural" risk of congenital defect is much greater than any potential added risk from the x-rays.
The risk to the baby is practically nil for the following exposures:
- dental x-rays, even without a lead apron
- diagnostic x-rays of the head, spine, chest or abdomen
- barium enema
- IVP
- living near a nuclear power plant
- working as an x-ray technologist (following good radiation safety guidelines)
- x-rays to the fathers testicles just prior to conception
According to AAPM, "...both the American College of Radiology and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology have adopted a policy that rarely if ever is termination of pregnancy advisable because of the radiation risk arising from diagnostic x-ray examinations."
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