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Answer to Question #2798 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Radiation Workers The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
A friend of mine is a survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Radiation therapy was a part of her treatment. Now it is 10 years later and she is trying to conceive. We are both nurses and we have occasion to be exposed to C Arm Cases including bronchoscopies and ERCP's which require us to be at the head of the bed while the x ray is in the chest/abdomen area of the patient. We wear protective aprons. Her doctor has recommended that she avoid x-ray contact while she is trying to conceive. Is there any rational to this request?
A
While it is always good to make sure you avoid unnecessary radiation exposure (pregnant or not), there is no reason why your friend cannot continue working in her job while she is trying to conceive. It sounds like she wears a lead apron which is most important here. The lead apron will stop 95-98% of the x-ray beam that travels in your direction. I usually also discuss distance but it appears you have to be in a certain location so don't have too much control over that. The big key is to stay out of the primary beam—that way, all you need to avoid is the scatter which will be between 0.1 and 1% of the radiation received by the patient. With the distance you are able to achieve and wearing a lead apron, the uterus will receive little or no exposure.
Kelly Classic Certified Medical Health Physicist
Answer posted on 29 July 2003. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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