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09 February 2012

Answer to Question #8847 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear Medicine Patient Issues — Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine

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

I had a dose of 4 millicuries of radioactive iodine to check for thyroid cancer recurrence. It was during ovulation. I am now six weeks pregnant. My obstetrician says there is going to be a problem because it was during ovulation. Will there be any birth defects? Will my baby be okay?

Your baby will not pick up any radioiodine in its thyroid until about 12 weeks gestation, so thyroid damage from the radioiodine is not possible. The mainly external radiation to your baby is about 710 mrem, which is about two years worth of average natural background radiation in the United States, which is very low. It is not enough to cause any problem for your baby.

I can't promise that your baby will be perfect, because about 5 percent of babies are born with some kind of abnormality anyway, without extra radiation exposure. However, there will not be a problem from your low dose of radioactive iodine.

Carol S. Marcus, PhD, MD
Professor of Radiation Oncology and of Radiological Sciences, UCLA

Answer posted on 24 February 2010. 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.