Can I take an x-ray while breastfeeding?

It is difficult to find an absolutely healthy person. From time to time, each of us undergoes a virus attack. Unhealthy is often associated with sudden onset digestive problems. Other reasons may arise that force you to go to a medical institution. Often, after a visit to the doctor, many patients are referred for x-rays. For most patients, this type of examination does not raise questions, which cannot be said about breast-feeding women. We will consider this question in detail, and try to answer the question - when is it necessary to carry out an X-ray examination for mothers, and when this is not worth doing.

Breastfeeding and X-ray

In most young mothers, after birth, the body is greatly weakened for physiological reasons. And here is a serious additional burden that requires considerable resources - this is feeding the baby. The combination of these and other reasons creates favorable soil for the development of a particular pathology. For example, after childbirth, dental problems often worsen or a woman develops bronchitis. That is, there can be many reasons for the appointment of this type of examination. Getting a referral to the appropriate office, the woman, for obvious reasons, wonders how safe this event is for herself and her baby. After all, a baby, except for mother's milk, still does not receive anything, and the procedure recommended by a doctor can affect its quality.

On this issue, you can immediately give an explanation: if an x-ray examination is necessary for a nursing mother for health reasons, then it must be done. Another situation is when a completely healthy woman is advised to undergo this type of diagnosis as part of a clinical examination program. In this case, it is better not to be exposed to radiation, and the examination should be postponed until a more favorable time.

According to experts, after such serious diagnostic methods as MRI, CT and X-rays, a woman is usually recommended to stop breastfeeding for a certain period of time. And such serious changes, of course, will affect the state of the baby.

Effect of exposure: harm or benefit

Modern medicine has good diagnostic equipment that allows you to minimize all risks to humans. Of course, this condition is fulfilled if the device is working properly, and the diagnosis is carried out in accordance with applicable standards. Therefore, most doctors are inclined to believe that examination with x-rays for a nursing woman is not dangerous. It absolutely does not affect the intensity of lactation and the composition of breast milk. In a word, the little man is not threatened by the procedure recommended by his mother.

When an x-ray is needed

Of course, a woman has the right to refuse this type of examination for security reasons. But, as noted earlier, sometimes an X-ray diagnosis is necessary for health reasons. A similar situation may arise:

• with injury with a suspected fracture;
• if there is a prolonged cough that does not respond to treatment;
• when wheezing is heard in the lungs of a woman, which indicates the development of pneumonia;
• if a cold and SARS lasts a long time, more than ten days, against the background of a non-decreasing temperature;
• with suspected sinusitis;
• if gastritis worsened, or gastric ulcer.

There are quite a few such cases when it is hardly worth risking your health. But a nursing mother must still rely on the competence of the attending physician. The specialist is primarily interested in making the correct diagnosis and prescribing adequate treatment. If you do not follow his recommendations and refuse the examination prescribed by him, life can indeed be in jeopardy.

A completely different situation is when a nursing woman goes to a medical institution to undergo a medical examination. Then the appointment of an X-ray examination just like that, "just in case", is unacceptable.

In general, when deciding on the appropriateness of a particular type of examination or treatment, one must always compare all the risks and benefits of the event. If we talk about the benefits, then X-ray is a very effective diagnostic method. With its help, you can quickly and accurately make a diagnosis. But the minus is that due to the effects of rays, a person still receives a dose of radiation.

How to combine breastfeeding and examination

Today, natural feeding of children is actively promoted. After all, mother’s milk for the baby is the main source of getting everything necessary for full growth and development. In addition, it is the only source of strengthening the immune forces of a small organism. Therefore, most modern scientists do not see such serious reasons that would serve as a good reason for weaning a child from the mother’s breast. They believe that x-rays do not destroy the structure of breast milk, do not change its composition. Mom after passing the examination can safely continue to feed the baby.

But another group of specialists, including radiologists, nevertheless recommend that certain measures be taken to reduce radiation exposure and not to feed the baby for a period of time. This restriction is relevant in cases where the ionizing effect was carried out on the chest area or when the contrast composition was used during the examination. It should be emphasized here that women are advised to refrain from products containing iodine during breastfeeding. Although, when using contrast agents, the iodine molecule comes into contact with its base, and as a result of the chemical reaction, few free ions are formed. This circumstance only indicates that for the child these elements do not pose a threat. In addition, the half-life of iodine ions takes less than an hour, so their presence in breast milk is practically zero.

An important point! After radiological diagnostics with a contrasting composition, the nursing mother should not put the baby to her breast for a day. This is the opinion of specialists, although objectively there is no need to excommunicate the child from the breast, even for such a short period. It’s probably still better not to take risks and take the advice of professionals.

Diagnostic preparation

To reduce even the minimum probability of a negative impact on the baby’s health, a nursing mother should take note of the following recommendations:

1. You should agree to an X-ray examination only if absolutely necessary. Conducting this type of diagnosis for “safety net” and other purposes is an unjustified measure.
2. Before the procedure, you should feed the baby well, and if possible, express the milk for several feedings.
3. Since all women are obligatorily sent for fluorography after childbirth, there should be a coupon with a mark on the date of the examination. If not yet a year has passed, a nursing mother has the right to refuse an x-ray.
4. During the procedure, the assistant is required to issue a special protective apron to the woman in the X-ray diagnostic room. If this does not happen, then a nursing mother may require providing her with the necessary personal protective equipment.

Note! With the introduction of new technologies in the medical field, advanced promising types of research have emerged to minimize all potential risks. For example, this can be done by using a special film of type “E” or a digital radiograph. Some types of modern visiographs (used in dentistry) emit such a meager dose during operation that it is equated to the natural background of radiation.