Fluorography is an X-ray diagnostic method used for mass screening of the pathology of chest organs in the population.
Fluorography before pregnancy
If a woman did not know about her pregnancy and the fluorography was carried out before the expected period of menstruation, then there is nothing to worry about. Medico-genetic counseling is recommended to be performed if the study was conducted after the expected period of menstruation.
Do you get fluorography for pregnant women?
Fluorography is considered a low-dose study method. But pregnancy is an absolute contraindication to its conduct. Pregnant women are exempt from routine fluorography. Any x-ray method of research, including fluorography, is used only for serious clinical indications.
Whether do or make a roentgenography to pregnant women?
Pregnant women are given fluorography only if the benefit of the study for the mother exceeds the possible risk for the child. Suspected pneumonia is an indication for the study. If possible, it is better to resort to research methods without ionizing radiation, such as magnetic resonance imaging.
How does fluorography affect pregnancy?
Ionizing radiation affects the fissile cells of the embryo. Especially dangerous is the radiologic effect in the early stages of pregnancy, when the cells of the embryo are highly sensitive to any effect. Damage to the zygote at early stages of its existence can be dangerous by stopping the development of pregnancy. In the second half of pregnancy, fluorography is less dangerous.
Why it is impossible to do a fluorography to pregnant women?
The harm of fluorography during pregnancy is estimated by its negative effect on the organs and tissues of the fetus. The term of pregnancy, at which the fluorographic study was conducted, is important. After 20 weeks of gestation, when the main organs and systems of the fetus are already formed, fluorography is less dangerous. The first 2 weeks of gestation, the embryo is also well protected against ionizing effects. From 2 to 20 weeks of pregnancy, a risk of spontaneous miscarriage increases during an X-ray study. During this period, fetal cells with ionizing radiation can be damaged at the genetic level, which leads to serious pathologies of organs and systems. Structural damage to fetal cells can lead to a delay in growth and development, to cancerous blood diseases in the child.
Consequences of fluorography during pregnancy make this method of research contraindicated for pregnant women and women with suspected pregnancy.