Pregnancy for any woman is an important and responsible phase in life. At this time, she worries not only about her health, but also about the life and comfort of the baby, actively developing in her. The development of the child is directly related to the lifestyle of the future mother (nutrition, activity). Negative factors also affect the baby’s health, one of which is considered to be fluorography.
Why do fluorography
Many women wonder: is it possible to do fluorography during pregnancy. To answer this question, you need to find out why this procedure is carried out. In order to timely detect certain diseases in Russia, annual examinations of the human chest are carried out. This is done using fluorography. If a citizen does not have a certificate, he will not be hired, will not be enrolled in an educational institution, he will not even be able to get a driver’s license. In addition to a routine examination, the doctor prescribes fluorography on his own for those patients who have symptoms of lung disease.
When a woman was sent for fluorography during pregnancy, she begins to worry, because it is believed that x-ray irradiation of a medical device can harm the fetus. Often, girls, because of their prejudices, refuse such a study. Should I neglect my health and abandon this procedure? What will happen if you do fluorography while pregnant? You will receive an answer to all these questions by reading the information below.
What is the study
Before you understand what harmful fluorography is, it is important to understand where this technology came from in medicine. The discovery of x-rays has revolutionized medicine. Thanks to scientists, doctors could study the internal structure of a person, his organs. X-rays can also be used to identify deviations to help people with various injuries and abnormalities. Many years have passed since the discovery of X-ray radiation, but doctors still use it to diagnose human health.
Fluorography is performed using x-ray radiation, which is sent to a person. As a result of the procedure, the specialist receives an image of the internal organs on the screen, which is then transferred to the film. The radiologist in this picture can write a conclusion about the presence or absence of pathologies.
Chest x-ray helps to identify several serious diseases:
- Pneumonia.
- Cancer in the chest.
- Tuberculosis.
- Diseases of the heart, diaphragm and pleura.
Radiation doses
To find out where fluorography is best done, you need to know that during this study, a hospital patient receives a small dose of radiation (approximately 0.2 millisievert). On obsolete devices, the radiation dose increases to 0.8 millisievert. Currently, film devices for fluorography are actively replacing with more modern ones. They provide radiation of no more than 0.06 millisievert.
Difference of X-ray from fluorography
Before you know whether it is possible to do fluorography during pregnancy, you should find out what is the difference between x-rays and fluorography. X-ray examination and fluorography are very similar procedures. The principle of action is x-ray irradiation, however, x-ray irradiation is much less, it does not reach 0.3 millisievert.
A chest x-ray is prescribed for one reason - the equipment for this procedure is much cheaper. If the fears of the attending physician are justified and pathologies are found in the patient, they can additionally send him for x-ray for a detailed study of the disease.
A fluorographic apparatus has an important advantage - it is much more compact than an X-ray apparatus, it can be placed in a truck or bus for on-site diagnostics.
Radiation hazard
Despite the fact that during the examination of the lungs a small amount of radiation enters the human body, many experts do not recommend performing fluorography during early pregnancy. Some doctors even insist on an abortion if the woman has done this procedure, not knowing what is in position.
Gynecologists say that from the 1st to the 20th week from the moment of conception, the fetus is especially sensitive to external negative influences. Radioactive radiation can lead to abnormal changes in an unborn baby. At a later date (after the 20th week), all of your organs are already fully formed in your future child. At this point, the risks of mutations are minimized.
The procedure is not so dangerous
Despite the warnings of doctors, hundreds of cases were recorded in the world when an expectant mother did fluorography in the early stages of pregnancy. Women gave birth to completely healthy children. To date, there is no document that confirms the infliction of significant harm to the health of the fetus after exposure for medical reasons. Even if pathologies were found in the baby after birth, they cannot be associated with exposure to X-rays. Despite all the facts described above, doctors are extremely not recommending taking risks, because radiation is dangerous to human life, in addition, this physical phenomenon has not been fully studied.
What to do if an x-ray is already taken
What should pregnant women do if fluorography during pregnancy has already been done? Firstly, do not worry and panic, because any mother’s experiences can negatively affect the developing fetus. When carrying a child, you need to think about positive things. To prove that it is not worth doing an abortion immediately, here are a few examples to help calm down.
- Many believe that women who have undergone fluorography in the early stages of pregnancy may lose their baby. A fetal egg, exposed to radiation, will not be able to gain a foothold in the uterus, which will provoke a miscarriage. Such cases have occurred, but they are rare in medical practice. If a woman did not experience any complications after the procedure, then the embryo is not in danger.
- The doctor several times checks the presence of anomalies with ultrasound equipment. If they are discovered, he may propose to abandon the unborn child and have an abortion. It is not worth interrupting pregnancy in advance; you need to make sure that the fetus is developing incorrectly.
- The radiation dose during the X-ray examination is too low, in addition, the procedure lasts only 1-2 seconds. The main dose of radiation is given to the chest area, while the pelvic organs are protected by special plates of lead. Thanks to these facts, it can be argued that practically nothing threatens the health of the embryo.
If, after the above information, you are still worried about undergoing fluorography during pregnancy, you can consult a doctor. He will study the situation, conduct a survey and give his recommendations. As a rule, the doctor will advise you to wait for the planned ultrasound, which takes place at the 12-15th week of pregnancy. Also, in a medical institution, they can send a lady to biochemical screening. After receiving the results from these procedures, doctors will be able to conclude on the condition of the fetus.
Other risk factors
In addition to the negative impact of fluorography on pregnancy, it is worth remembering that there are a number of other factors that threaten the life of the unborn baby: various vaccinations made during gestation, taking antibiotics, drinking and smoking. However, such external threats rarely lead to abnormal changes in the unborn baby if the above negative factors stop immediately after the expectant mother found out about pregnancy.
Experts explain that if a negative factor occurred in the first 12 days of the fetal life, then there will be two outcomes. In the first case, there will be no harmful effects, the pregnancy will proceed without any complications. In the second case, a miscarriage will occur.
Regardless of what causes the expectant mother to worry, fluorography, bad habits or taking potent drugs, doctor's supervision, ultrasound and tests in time will reveal abnormalities in the child’s development. That is why it is necessary not to think about the bad when a new life has arisen within you.
In the event that the gynecologist strongly recommends aborting, then you should consult other specialists before taking extreme measures. Doctors who are familiar with modern methods of treatment, having the necessary equipment, will never offer you to do irreparable if the threat of pregnancy is only to undergo fluorography in the early stages.
Medical indications
Fluorography for pregnant women at an early date is prescribed only as a last resort, when it comes to saving the life of the expectant mother. It is mandatory to undergo an examination if:
- a close relative was found to have a serious illness after fluorography;
- a pregnant woman had contact with a person with tuberculosis;
- someone from close relatives found a bad result of the mantoux reaction;
- a close relative was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis;
- a pregnant lady is or has recently visited the region where the tuberculosis epidemic has occurred.
Before thinking about the consequences of fluorography during pregnancy, it should be noted that all of the above cases are extremely rare in our country, so if you even come across one of these factors, you should first contact your doctor for professional advice. Only a doctor will be able to confirm or refute the fears of his patient by appointing the necessary health checks for a woman and her future baby.
If the examination can identify dangerous diseases in a pregnant woman, do not abandon the procedure. Irradiation in scanty doses is a lower risk than the consequences, for example, pneumonia or severe tuberculosis. Such diseases without the timely intervention of doctors can be fatal.
If a woman before the start of pregnancy did not have time to undergo mandatory fluorography, while she feels well, doctors have no suspicion of lung disease, then you can forget about this procedure until the baby is born. However, it is worth knowing that a few days after the birth she will be sent for fluorographic examination. Without checking the condition of the pulmonary ways home, women in childbirth are not allowed to release.
X-ray protection methods
In order to minimize the risks of radiation, it is necessary to follow the recommendations during fluorography.
- Before the examination, it should be clarified where to undergo fluorography better and safer. You need to choose the clinic where the new modern equipment is installed. The radiation dose on digital devices is several times lower, therefore, they are much safer than obsolete film ones.
- If there is no alternative, you will have to take a picture on the old equipment, while it is necessary to warn the radiologist about your pregnancy. For safety, the patient put on a protective apron.
- The doctor who writes you a referral to an X-ray room also needs to be notified of his pregnancy. In this case, he will decide on the feasibility of carrying out this procedure. It may be necessary to replace this type of diagnosis with a more gentle one or delay the treatment until a later date.
The decision on the procedure is made by the patient himself, answering the question whether fluorography is necessary during pregnancy in this case. Every woman should know that no one has the right to force her to undergo fluorography or x-rays.