Often heard of female friends in the diagnostic radiation, such as chest x-ray, oral x-ray irradiation, or abdominal x-ray irradiation, found that the pregnancy, or during pregnancy because of the disease had to accept x-ray irradiation, so around friends and even many doctors told her that the exposure during pregnancy will cause fetal deformities, terminate the pregnancy before it is too late, induced abortion. No one wants to have an unhealthy child, so the joy and longing for a baby was immediately replaced by physical and psychological harm. A little life is thus snuffed out at the embryonic stage. Every time I see this, my heart aches. Some of the diagnostic radiological procedures that may be performed during pregnancy are x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, or nuclear medicine. Of these, x-ray exposure is the most common and the most alarming to pregnant women and their families. This stems from the general public perception that x-ray exposure can harm the fetus or even cause teratogenesis. China’s liberal abortion policy in turn leads to pregnant women choosing abortion easily to avoid the possibility of teratogenesis. Indeed, high doses of ionizing radiation such as x-rays can cause many serious injuries to the fetus, such as miscarriage, fetal growth disorders, microcephaly, impaired mental development, and increased risk of childhood malignancies. According to the clinical guidelines of the American College of Radiology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the vast majority of diagnostic radiological exams do not cause fetal harm, and if they do, it is very, very low. And the American College of Radiology clearly states that a single diagnostic x-ray is not even close to the dose that would cause embryonic or fetal harm. So a single diagnostic x-ray exposure cannot justify an abortion. I emphasize the word diagnostic here again and again, because the dose of therapeutic radiation can far exceed the dose of diagnostic radiation, and that’s a different matter. Some women are terrified because they have been exposed to radiation for some reason before they know they are pregnant, and this, along with the wrong advice from some doctors as well, leads to these women biting the bullet and choosing abortion for the sake of a healthy child. Once a child is conceived, there is still the possibility that certain diseases or accidents may require the use of x-rays to make a correct diagnosis. Let’s take a look at the data to see if diagnostic tests can cause fetal damage or even teratogenesis. If the dose of x-ray radiation received by the fetus is less than 50 milligy (gy is a unit of radiation dose, 1 gy is equal to 100 rad, and 50 milligy is 5 rad, which is equal to 5,000 millirad), it will not cause any health effects to the fetus. Fetal health problems can only occur with exposures higher than 100 mGy, especially between 8 and 25 weeks of gestation, which is the most sensitive period. 100 mGy is a dose that is not normally used for diagnostic x-rays, except for barium enemas, serial imaging of the small bowel, or radiotherapy. According to the American Association of Radiology and the Maternity Association, a single chest x-ray of a pregnant woman exposes the fetus to a dose of 0.02C0.07 mrad. Remember, it takes more than 5,000 mrad to cause fetal damage. A single abdominal radiograph exposes the fetus to 100 millirad, and a pyelogram may expose the fetus to more than 1 rad. mammography exposes the fetus to 7-20 millirad. barium enema or small bowel serial imaging exposes the fetus to 2-4 rad. head and chest CT exposes the fetus to less than 1 rad. abdominal or lumbar spine CT scans expose the fetus to less than 1 rad. CT scan of the lumbar spine can expose the fetus to up to 3.5 rad. Explain in simple terms. Plain radiographs usually expose the fetus to a very small dose of radiation. When x-rays are done during pregnancy, the abdomen is usually protected with a protective suit containing lead, which further reduces the dose. With the exception of barium enema and serial imaging of the small bowel, most contrast fluoroscopy exams result in a dose to the fetus of only millirad, and the amount of radiation exposure and the distance to the film from the CT will vary. Pelvic CT may expose the fetus to as much as 1.5 rad, but radiologists can reduce this to closer to 250 mrad by using low-dose techniques. In late 2013, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published new guidelines on dental care during pregnancy, and for the first time, it says in no uncertain terms that early oral health care, oral cleanings, including dental x-rays, are recommended during pregnancy. So, it’s safe to summarize. Routine dental x-rays, head x-rays, extremity x-rays, and chest x-rays, including mammograms, or CT of the head and chest are not likely to cause fetal harm, and the elevated risk of childhood cancers is negligible. Please discuss with your doctor if you need an abdominal exam. Therefore, if you need an x-ray during pregnancy due to illness or trauma and there is no better alternative, you do not need to refuse an x-ray for fear of risk to the fetus. Your health is of the utmost importance not only to yourself but also to your child. If a woman is exposed to x-rays higher than 10 rads during the first two weeks of pregnancy, it may kill the embryo. But this is a 0 or 1 issue, meaning if the fetus survives, there is no problem. But it is true that there are pregnant women who have received chest x-rays who ended up with a deformed baby what happened? Remember, without irradiation, the same 4-6% of newborns will have various kinds of malformations, but the vast majority are minor, such as a birthmark, an extra finger or toe, etc. A child having a deformity is not a result of diagnostic radiation.