Risks of X-ray to Pregnancy
The society has change as each year welcomes new technological advancement that aim to improve the lives of many in several aspects of life including business and finance, research and even advancement in medical care. When we talk about advances in medical care, it is amazing how these developments were able to save lives of many. Some of these are MRI, CT scan, ultrasound for pregnancy, chemotherapy machines and so on. But do you know that even the simplest x-ray machine was able to contribute greatly into saving lives?
X-ray is a medical tool used to diagnose health problems where vision of the internal structure or organ of the body is necessary. It uses lightwaves to penetrate to the skin and capture images that will help the medical practitioner identify what is wrong in the body system. Performing an x-ray should be done by a qualified and certified radiologist. They have the expertise to do the procedure without putting the patient into risk or allow the patient to have the least radiation exposure from the procedure. This fact is especially important when a patient is already at the pregnancy years.
Prior to the procedure, the radiologist, especially if the patient is a woman will have to ask if the woman is pregnant or may be pregnant. This is a standard operating procedure that should be followed as x-ray can create considerable risks to pregnancy.
X-ray uses light waves and as light waves, it is a form of radiation. Radiation has harmful effects to the body as it can modify or alter the cells or tissues where there has been radiation exposure. When the exposure is high, risks can be high such as the probability of having cancer or leukemia. During pregnancy, it can create developmental problems to the baby in the womb.
The amount of radiation that this procedure emits depends variably on the organ or structure being examined. This is because each body part has different sensitivity to radiation. During pregnancy, if it is to be performed at the arms or the legs, the risks may be low but if it is near the reproductive system, it is necessary that a lead shield has to be used to prevent exposure of the reproductive system to radiation. In some instances such as dental x-ray however, although it may be far from the reproductive organs, some studies show that babies whose mothers have dental x-ray when pregnant are low in birth weight. Therefore, it is strongly advised to avoid x-ray of any kind when a woman is pregnant to avoid complications. The doctor should be able to consider other options such as using pregnancy ultrasound such as 4d scans and other measures that uses sound waves instead of light waves.
Women in the childbearing years should be careful into exposing themselves to radiation especially x-ray during pregnancy. With the information above, it should be able to make you aware of the health risks that radiation can cause.
Riza C. Belgira is health enthusiast and an advocate of strengthening women's health and well-being through informative health resources and articles.
Visit her web site and explore informative and useful tips on 4d scans, pregnancy, dieting and weight loss at http://www.4d-ultrasoundscan.co.uk/.
Labels: baby in the womb, finance research, get pregnant, light waves, medical tool, pregnancy tips, radiation exposure, ray machine, x ray