X-rays and Pregnancy

Are you being advised to have an x-ray? Did you have one while pregnant? What do you need to know about x-rays?

Dec 1, 2006 Brenda Lane

X-rays carry levels of radiation that are very small. Here is information women need to know about getting an x-ray.

How can radiation affect your growing baby?

High levels of radiation are known to increase the risk of cancer for the baby later in life. In addition, if the baby is around 2 weeks, radiation can cause one cell to die and since there are so few cells to begin with at that stage, often the mother can have a miscarriage before she even knows she is pregnant. Higher doses of radiation when the baby's brain is growing rapidly between weeks 8-15 can cause severe mental retardation and dramatically lower IQ.

How much radiation is in the average x-ray?

The good news is that x-rays have such small amounts of radiation that there is little to no harm done to the baby. A typical dental x-ray has about 2-3 mrem (millirem) of radiation. A full mouth series of x-rays would deliver about 36mrem. We are exposed to very low levels of radiation every day. Experts estimate that our normal environment gives off about 1 mrem a day or about 360 mrem per year.

Recommendations for x-rays during pregnancy

Unless the mother's health is at risk, it is generally agreed that no exposure to radiation or x-rays is still the safest best, so most providers will recommend that you do not have any routine x-rays at all during your pregnancy.

For more information about what to avoid during pregnancy read this series on the top things to avoid.

What are your thoughts about the diagnostic benefits of x-rays versus the exposure to radiation? Share them with us.

The copyright of the article X-rays and Pregnancy in Pregnancy & Childbirth is owned by Brenda Lane. Permission to republish X-rays and Pregnancy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.