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19 July 2008

Answer to Question #42 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Exposures not directly to embryo/fetus

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I had a baseline mammogram performed recently and have since found out I am pregnant. What are the risks? Please do not post my name or address. Thank you for your response.

We asked the questioner to find out from the medical center where she got the mammogram to estimate what the dose might have been to the fetus from this exam. The following is the response that she got: "The Diagnostic Center finally responded to my request concerning the fetal dose estimate from the mammogram I received during my first trimester of pregnancy. The radiologist responded that the dose was so small it couldn't even be calculated. They stated that the dose is considered to be less than a chest x ray, and that the radiation doesn't make it past the plate the breast is sitting on during the mammogram." Because of this response the questioner decided that she did not need further advice. Gen Roessler, Editor, HPS Web Site

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