QuestionI am writing from Ontario, Canada. I am 19 years old and am not currently trying to get pregnant but am concerned that later on in life (i.e. 7 years from now) that I will not be able to conceive/produce healthy babies. I have had at least 17 X Rays, the majority of which were of my lower back and hip region, 2 MRI's and a CT scan. I was advised to only have any more X rays if they were 100% necessary. I'm wondering how many X rays can a person have with out having to worry about infertility/miscarriages, etc, later on in life. Also, does the lead apron block out all radiation as I will hopefully be going into Veterinarian Medicine and will be required to be next to the X ray table while the picture is taken.
Thank you in advance
Emily
AnswerHello Emily from Canada,
At this point the amount of radiation you take for a standard X-ray is negligible in terms of future fertility. The main type of radiation exposure that is a problem is radiation therapy for cancer. MRI's have not impact, but CT scans do use an increased amount of radiation. I cannot give you a number of xrays, as there is no such data available. I don't think you need to worry, however.
Lead aprons are adequate to keep out the majority, if not all, the ambient radiation if you are working with xray machines. I am not an expert on this subject, however. You would probably have to speak to someone that knows more about xray machines and their radiation outputs.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf
