If you are a female and have ever been given an X-ray, chances are that the technician has asked you if you are pregnant or have any chance of being pregnant. Depending on how you answer this question, they will determine whether or not it is safe to give you the X-ray for whatever health issue you are dealing with. Why is it so important to know your maternal state? Is the nurse just being nosy, or is there an actual danger to taking an X-ray while pregnant? According the Health Physics Society, undergoing an X-ray while with child can be a very dangerous endeavor, and may leave your baby sick, or cause a miscarriage.
X-ray machines use a type of radiation known as ionizing radiation, to see the skeleton in your body. It is an electromagnetic radiation that is also used in radioactive isotopes and radiation therapy machines. When a woman is put under ionizing radiation with an X-ray, fluoroscopy, or radiation therapy treatment, it can affect the embryo. Liquid radioactive materials can have the same effect. If you are concerned that a radioactive radiation process will hurt your developing baby, then you should talk to a health physicist.
Admittedly, most diagnostic procedures don't expose the embryo to more than 5 rad. This small amount of radiation will not cause birth defects or a miscarriage. In fact, you will need about 20 rad before the X-ray or other radiation procedure would hurt your child. The stage of pregnancy that you are in will also influence how the radiation affects the embryo. In the first two weeks of post conception, the embryo will be resistant to the malforming effects of x-rays. If the mother receives a high dose of rad, (most likely over 20 rad,) then it may cause a miscarriage.
From the third to eighth week of pregnancy, the embryo will not be affected by radiation exposure unless it is over 20 rad. High doses of radiation could result in birth defects, pregnancy loss, or growth retardation. From the eighth to the fifteenth week, the fetus is more sensitive to the effects of radiation on the central nervous system. In cases of very high exposure, (over 30 rad,) the baby's IQ level may be dimmed by subtle brain damage. After the twentieth week of pregnancy, the baby has become more resistant to the developmental effects of radiation. The mother is just as vulnerable to the effects of radiation at this point. Scientists claim that virtually no amount of radiation that would not affect the mother would affect the baby.
It is very important to determine which part of your body the X-ray is targeting. An X-ray to the arm, leg, or chest has a very little possibility of harming the embryo. X-rays to the lower back, bladder, or gall bladder may expose the embryo to radiation. Also any X-rays of the pelvic region or the abdominal area could expose the embryo. The baby can also be exposed during an intravenous pyelogram to examine the kidneys, an upper GI series for evaluation of the gastrointestinal system, or a hysterosalpingogram. In all of these cases, the amount of exposure is normally small and harmless, but it is still important to know that these areas have a little risk attached.
If you were ever submitted to an X-ray or some high-radiation procedure that affected your pregnancy and caused you to lose your baby, or give birth to a child with defects, then you should contact a medical malpractice attorney. Hospital staff should be able to evaluate whether or not a procedure is safe for you and the child you are carrying. It is important that you receive compensation for your suffering.