Answer to Question #197 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

What damage if any to early pregnancy is a barium enema x ray where barium fluids were given into the back passage (as I have coeliacs disease and they were checking for abnormalities in the bowel)? As this is in close proximity to the uterus I am concerned.

A

Editor's Note: It was suggested to the person with this question that she get an estimate of the dose from the procedure and that she then call our expert on radiation exposures during pregnancy. We told her she would also need to tell him at what stage during pregnancy she had the x ray. The woman wrote back later and said she had seen a consultant in the United Kingdom. She said:

"A physicist here in the UK worked out the radiation levels and because I was so early on (maybe three to four weeks) they feel there is no significant risk to the baby, but of course will keep a check on this. They said that if anything serious had affected the fetus it would have aborted of its own accord and they do not consider it necessary to have an abortion. One of the tests showed that if a child was born with an IQ say of 135 the damage done by the radiation would have been .5 making an IQ of 134.5. They have run other tests in conjunction with information from the United States. I hope this is of some help and maybe you can post this on your website to help others. Thank you for your help and prompt response."