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Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology

Normal Pregnancy

Diagnosis of Pregnancy	Disability	Thermal Stress
Pregnancy Tests	Maternal Skin Changes	Noise
Prenatal Care	Nausea	Vibration
Nutrition	Heartburn	Solvents
Prenatal Vitamins	Sciatica	Heavy Metals
Laboratory Tests	Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	X-rays
Ultrasound Scans	URI	Radiation
Estimating Gestational Age	Antibiotics	CRT Exposure
Fetal Heart Beat	Other Drugs	Diving
Exercise	Immunizations	Hyperbaric Therapy
		Aircrew Status

X-rays during Pregnancy

All things being equal (which they never are), it is better to avoid x-rays while pregnant.

If indicated, (chronic cough, possible fracture, etc.), then x-rays are acceptable.

If you need an x-ray for a pregnant patient, go ahead and get it, but try to shield the baby with a lead apron to minimize the fetal exposure.

In your zeal to shield the pregnant abdomen, be careful not to shield so much that the value of the x-ray is diminished. If the shielding is too high while obtaining a chest x-ray, you will have to obtain a second x-ray to visualize the area shielded during the first x-ray.

Radiation exposure during Pregnancy

There appears to be a threshold for fetal malformation or death of at least 10 Rads, below which, biologic effects cannot be demonstrated. Allowing for a 10-fold margin of safety, it does not appear that any exposure below 1 Rad will have any harmful effects.

It would take about a thousand chest x-rays to deliver this amount of radiation to the unshielded maternal pelvis.

At the same time, our knowledge of the biologic effects or radiation may be incomplete, so it is better for pregnant women, as a rule, to avoid any unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation, and to use appropriate shielding when it is necessary.

Home · Introduction · Medical Support of Women in Field Environments · The Prisoner of War Experience · Routine Care · Pap Smears · Human Papilloma Virus · Contraception · Birth Control Pills · Vulvar Disease · Vaginal Discharge · Abnormal Bleeding · Menstrual Problems · Abdominal Pain · Urination Problems · Menopause · Breast Problems · Sexual Assault · Normal Pregnancy · Abnormal Pregnancy · Normal Labor and Delivery · Problems During Labor and Delivery · Care of the Newborn

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
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Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology - 2nd Edition
The Health Care of Women in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMEDPUB 6300-2C
January 1, 2000

This web version of Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division. It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMEDPUB 6300-2C, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All material in this version is unclassified.

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