I believe many mothers-to-be have had the experience of finding out that they are pregnant after having an X-ray examination, when all that is playing in their heads are the words of the radiologist: pregnancy is not recommended for six months to a year after the X-ray examination. When I went online and found out that radiation exposure during pregnancy can easily cause fetal malformation, miscarriage, stillbirth and other hazards, I panicked and went to the hospital in a hurry. Everyone has a common sense: women should try to avoid X-ray examinations during pregnancy. No matter what the reason is, if you receive an X-ray during pregnancy, you will often be told by your friends or even your doctor that X-rays during pregnancy can cause fetal malformations and that you should terminate your pregnancy before it is too late. Are X-rays during pregnancy really that damaging? The “all or nothing” rule applies until the fourth week of pregnancy. As we all know, the “all or nothing” rule is an unbreakable truth. There is a large amount of clinical evidence from abroad that the effect on the fetus when exposed to X-rays in the early stages of pregnancy (note: this is specifically before the 4th week of pregnancy, i.e. 28 days after the first day of the last menstrual period) is only twofold: the first result is that the fetus receives all the adverse effects and miscarries spontaneously; the second result is that the fetus is not adversely affected and grows normally. This is the internationally accepted theory of “all or nothing” in early pregnancy. In other words, if the X-ray is done before the 4th week of pregnancy, the baby will not be born with abnormalities. After the 4th week of pregnancy, it is related to the week of pregnancy, radiation dose and irradiation site Related to the week of pregnancy: X-ray examination in early pregnancy is likely to cause fetal malformation, which is more harmful, especially the risk of malignant tumor and blood cancer will increase within 10 years after birth; in the middle of pregnancy, most of the fetal organs have basically formed, and although the harm of X-ray examination to the fetus is smaller, it will also affect the continued development of the fetus, making the fetus In the second trimester, the fetus’ organs are basically mature and the risk of receiving X-rays is low. The dose of radiation is related to: research has confirmed that as long as the mother-to-be receives 42-60 rad of X-ray radiation in the 6th to 8th week of pregnancy, it will cause fetal malformation or even fetal death; the fetus in the first four months of pregnancy absorbs an X-ray dose of 10 rad or more (equivalent to 10 chest X-ray doses), which will easily cause malformation. According to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), pregnancy must be terminated if the dose of X-rays received during the entire pregnancy exceeds 10 rad. Related to the site of irradiation: If X-ray examinations are done during pregnancy, the fetus will absorb different doses of X-rays at different sites of irradiation. If the irradiation is done in areas far from the fetus, such as the chest and hands and feet, it will absorb less X-rays; if the irradiation is done in locations closer to the fetus, such as the abdomen and pelvis, it will absorb more. Estimated average absorbed dose of X-ray examination of the fetus Site of irradiation Estimated absorbed dose of single examination of the fetus Fetal absorbed dose up to 5 rad Required examination (times) Head 4mrad 1250 Dental 0.1mrad 50000 Chest (frontal and lateral) 0.02~0.07mrad 71429 Abdomen (multifaceted) 245mrad 20 Breast 7~20mrad 250 Hip (unilateral) 213mrad 23 Pelvis 40mrad 125 Intravenous pyelogram 1.398rad 3 However, if X-rays are needed due to illness or trauma during pregnancy, considering that the high dose of X-rays may have adverse effects on the pregnant woman and the fetus, other tests without ionizing radiation can be used instead; if other tests cannot be used instead, it is necessary to consult a doctor to properly understand the If other tests cannot be used instead, you need to consult your doctor to properly understand the risks before making a choice. It is worth noting that, in addition to mothers-to-be, women of childbearing age should not have X-ray examinations before their menstruation. This is because the period before menstruation is the stage of ovulation and may also be the early stage of fertilization and pregnancy, and if X-ray is performed at this time, the egg cells or fertilized egg may be damaged or even die. In short, in the eyes of the pregnant mother, the health of the baby is more important than anything else. However, in the eyes of the doctor, the health of the pregnant mother and the baby are equally important. If you are pregnant, or suspect that you are pregnant, please consult your doctor for any aspect of the test and do not worry unnecessarily. If you do need an x-ray during pregnancy due to illness or trauma and there is no better alternative, you should choose after you have a proper understanding of the risks and not just ignorantly and fearlessly stick to it.