Mammogram while ttc - any radiographers here?

[Patienceisvirtuous]

Hi,

I scheduled a family history breast screen (mammogram) pre-ovulation this month.

Is it safe to ttc? Or best to let this month’s egg pass?

I’m nearly 41 so time is of the essence. Would rather not risk radiation exposure though but not sure if it’s only a risk to a foetus and not an egg follicle?! Does anyone know?

TIA.

Bump...

I'm not a radiographer, but this is something I know about and I would say you should not worry about the mammogram and trying to conceive this month.

There is only ever a concern when a woman is already pregnant, but the radiation exposure to the womb from a mammogram is probably very small as the radiation is not very penetrating and not really directed towards the uterus.

This is discussed in a US professional radiation society website:

www.hpschapters.org/hps/pregnancy.php

The most relevant bit is:

'Genetic effects (those that are seen in the children of the exposed person) are possible when the egg or sperm is irradiated; however, this effect has not been demonstrated in humans. The concern of most patients is whether radiation exposure to the egg or sperm will result in birth defects. The risk from radiation exposure to the egg or sperm prior to conception has been studied in two large populations. In one study, thousands of patients who were exposed to radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and had families were studied for the incidence of genetic disease and other reproductive effects. After 50 years of study on this population, there has been no demonstrable increase in genetic disease found. What was learned is that the risk is extremely small and that you need very large populations to demonstrate this risk. In other words, the risk from the radiation is too small to be detected amid the spontaneous incidence of mutations and the hereditary component of mutations that may affect the offspring'

Hi OP, not a mammographer, but a Clinical Scientist in radiation protection who works with the breast screening program.

Your uterus isn't exposed during a mammogram, so from that perspective it doesn't matter if you're pregnant - there wouldn't be any risk to the foetus. They may ask if you're pregnant, but that's because the breast tissue changes during pregnancy and it's more difficult to image.

So absolutely no reason not to crack on with ttc. Good luck!

Sorry just reread and saw you're concerned about the egg preconception. As Barbara said, there's no evidence of this happening in humans. And in animals it isn't as straight forward as that particular egg being affected. Regardless, your ovaries won't be irradiated so nothing to worry about.

I am a radiographer, it is perfectly safe to have a mammogram if trying to conceive, the radiation doesn't stay in your body.

Thanks so much for all your input :)