Assume that a woman of child-bearing age is pregnant unless proven otherwise.
(1) Pregnancy tests should be performed on serum rather than urine.
(2) A negative serum pregnancy test cannot exclude a very early pregnancy.
Acceptable proofs that a woman is not pregnant:
(1) onset of menses in the last 10 days
(2) taking oral contraceptives according to directions
(3) intrauterine device
(4) surgical sterilization
(5) long term celibacy
General guidelines:
(1) always shield the pelvis and abdomen when possible
(2) avoid inclusion of the pelvis in the primary X-ray beam when possible if woman may be in the first trimester of pregnancy
(3) all medical exposures should be kept as low as possible
If there is a valid medical indication to perform a diagnostic study using radiation in a pregnant woman, this will generally outweigh the remote possibility of harm to the fetus.
If a fetus has been exposed to a large amount of radiation (5-15 rads or more), then congenital malformations may occur.
(1)Therapeutic abortion may be considered if the risk of malformations is high.
