Could A X Ray Harm My Baby?

Question

I had 2 get an xray on my shoulder,neck,wrist,hand but i never told them i was pregent help me please

Answer 1

Mention the radiation exposure to your OB/GYN but from what you describe, I would not be too worried. The radiation exposure is low for the exams and body parts that you had mentioned. Abdominal or pelvic x-ray exposure would have been more of a concern. Exposure from a CT scan would be a concern also. Now-a-days the x-ray beam is well collimated to the exact area being examined. There is some "scattered rays" that bounce around inside the body but your shoulder, neck, wrist and hand do not create much "scatter" and are far enough away from your abdomen. If you had an upper GI series (lots of fluoro exposure) or a CT scan, it would be a concern. In the future, please advise the tech in advance that you are pregnant as we don't want to take any risks . If you are worried, have your routine ultrasound exams. All will be OK.

Answer 2

How stupid and insensitive to blame this lady. Yes, signs may have been put up, but the doctor and the Rad Tech should have asked her if she was pregnant. If there was any doubt then a pregnancy test should have been done.

But now, there are at least three things to consider :
1. What part of your body was x-rayed
2. How much x-ray got to the baby, and
3. What stage of pregnancy were you at

As to:
1. The farther away your body part was to the baby the better, and the thinner the body part the better. (An abdomen, pelvis, spine, or femur x-ray would have been much worse.)
2) Did you wear a lead shield on your lap. That would have reduced the x-ray to the baby. Even if you did not, your own tissue of your abdomen will reduce some of the x-ray to the baby.
3) The first trimester is the most susceptible time to the baby as new tissue types are forming and can be mutated.

Bottom line---you MUST talk to your doctor. You need a whole lot better advice with specific information which you can not get here. Talk to your doctor.

If the doctor you talk to is the doctor who ordered the x-rays you might wonder if you are getting the best advice as maybe they might be afraid that you will sue them, so they might be more worried about protecting themselves than admitting fault or harm to you. If that is the case, There may also be a risk analysis department (if done at a hospital). If you feel that you are not getting anywhere you might also call the Department of Health (which is probably located in your state's capital). They will think it is a big deal and will help you get answers.

Answer 3

Your baby may be okay, since you didn't have a torso x-ray. Let your OB know ASAP.

Taken from the American Pregnancy Association website...

Pregnancy and X-Rays: Good or Bad?You may have heard that getting an x-ray during pregnancy can harm your baby. This can be true, but in some cases not getting an x-ray can harm you more than it can harm your baby. Remember, a healthy mom means a healthy baby.

Is it safe to receive x-rays during pregnancy?
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, x-rays are generally safe during pregnancy, but there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding this issue. Studies have been conflicting, and therefore x-rays should only be done when the benefits outweigh the risks. X-rays can give your health care provider important and even life saving information about numerous medical conditions. Like many things, x-rays can have risks as well as benefits.

Are all x-rays safe?
Not all x-rays are the same, but most pose little exposure to the uterus and developing fetus. With dental x-rays there is hardly any exposure to any part of the body except the teeth.


X-ray examinations on the arms, legs, or chest do not expose your reproductive organs to the direct beam. However, x-rays of the torso, such as the abdomen, stomach, pelvis, lower back and kidneys, have a greater chance of exposure to the uterus.


It is always important that you let the healthcare provider know that you are pregnant if you might need an x-ray.

What are the chances that my baby will have an adverse effect if I had x-rays during pregnancy?
According to the American College of Radiology, no single diagnostic x-ray has a radiation dose significant enough to cause adverse effects in a developing embryo or fetus. Some common diagnostic procedures include dental, chest, CT scan (head/chest), and abdominal view.

**Always let your health care provider know that you are pregnant.

Answer 4

Yes, X rays can be harmful to the fetus. Hopefully you wore a lead apron during the procedures which would greatly reduce the dose your baby received. You did not mention the type of procedure you had..were these regular X rays or a CT scan? I'm guessing regular X rays. If you had a CT scan you would have laid down on a narrow table and been pushed through a machine that looks sort of like a doughnut. CT scans have a higher dose than regular X rays. Since the areas you have X rayed were not near your abdomen or pelvis, the baby PROBABLY received little dose. The eariler you are in your pregnancy, the more sensitive the fetus is to radiation. In the future, I HIGHLY recommend that you tell the doctor and X ray technologist that you are pregnant before getting any medical treatment. You should tell your OB GYN about the X rays ASAP.

Answer 5

The risk to the baby depend on how far along you are. Didn't they give you the lead apron anyway? Speak to your OB.
On the other hand, I wouldn't panic yet. Lot of people have to have xrays during pregnancy and none of yours were to the abdomen. X-rays are known to cause a risk of birth defects, but your question should be how likely are those birth defects. I can't remember anymore because I haven't counselled a pregnant woman about this in 10 years, but the odds are high that the baby would be fine.
OK I looked at the numbers a bit. Your OB or a genetic counselor will be better able to discuss with you based on exactly what was done in your case. You were probably exposed to way lower than what is thought to be risky for most birth defects and fetal death. There may be an increased risk of childhood cancer, but over 99% of children with low level prenatal xray exposure wont have this.
Best of luck and don't listen to the morons.

Answer 6

yes, in early pregnancy an x-ray can seriously harm your baby. it's a large amount of radiation going thru your body to take the pic of your bones. the x-ray tech should've asked you if you're pregnant. tell your ob or doc right away. my daughter had to be x-rayed a couple of months after i had her. even then the tech asked if my husband i had unprotected sex and when i answered yes, she asked me about the possibility of pregnancy to which answered no possibility and i still had to be protected and i was merely in the room, nowhere near the x-ray machine. even if a woman is not pregnant, she still needs to have on an iron "blanket" to protect her uterus. if you are being x-rayed for anything and the tech doesn't ask if you're pregnant, it is your responsibility to say that you are pregnant. you are that baby's mother, be responsible! tell your ob or doc right away, however damage has possibly already been done. good luck and expect alot of angry answers on here and not much help because there's nothing that can be done.

Answer 7

the first 14 weeks are the most critical because that's when all the internal stuff is developing like nerves, the brain, the heart, spine....an x-ray can alter regular development. Your dr can determine what was developing at the time of xray and let you know if it was harmful or not.

Answer 8

Yes, that is why you should not get x-rays while pregnant. Talk to your OB as soon as possible.

Answer 9

WTF? Why the hell wouldn't you tell the technicians you were pregnant? YES! THIS CAN HARM YOUR CHILD! X-rays can kill babies and terminate pregnancies if they're real early in development.


What a stupid mistake. Every X-ray room I have EVER been in has massive signs that tell you to tell a technician if you're pregnant.

Answer 10

Why in hell didn't you tell them you were pregnant?

The earlier in the pregnancy, the more chance of harm to the baby.