why would X-ray exposure during pregnancy likely be more injurious to the fetus?

Answer 1

X-rays have ionizing radiation or electromagnetic radiation which can cause genetic mutation resulting to birth defects or miscarriage. The fetus organs are being formed so injury to a few cells at this stage poses a risk .
In early pregnancy the cells of the unborn child are dividing rapidly, and large doses of radiation can be hazardous.At high radiation doses (much greater than 10 rad), mutations (defined as damage to cellular DNA), can occur in cells of the embryo or fetus. As a consequence, developmental abnormalities or cancer may develop. At low doses (less than 10 rad) , the probability of inducing mutations in cells in the developing embryo or fetus is so small that risks of developmental abnormalities from radiation exposure are insignificant.

Answer 2

developing fetuses are more susceptible to damage that adult cells because the cells are rapidly dividing and differentiating (also as such they are in fact more readily impacted than mature cells). There are many things that have to go right in order to have a normal child (when you consider how many it is a wonder normal folks are born at all, but that is the miracle of life). The adult cells are already where they need to be and are what they need to be. Damage to one of them will have a limited effect compared to the tasks left to accomplish for fetal cells

Answer 3

FOETUS ID MORE PRONE TO DAMAGE BY X-RAYS OR MANY OTHER RADIATIONS BECAUSE
1. His cells are actively dividing and during period of new formation of cells and division cells are more prone to damage from radiations due to "MUTATIONS"


2. HIS CELLS ARE MOSTLY "UNDIFFERENTIATED"i.e not specialized to perform any specific fuction.Hence once they are damaged by radiations, loss is irreversible