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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Help- VQ and Xray during pregnancy

21 replies

iwanttohaveababy · 05/01/2021 18:15

Hi All

Im 21 weeks pregnant. I have been experiencing shortness of breath for a while now And they want to perform an Xray and VQ scan afterwards to check my lungs for clots. I am really scared because i am reading about my baby being exposed to radiation. I thought they were going to do a VQ scan only but they just informed me they couldn't do it without doing the X-ray first. At the same time a potential blood clot could lead to fatal complications and the only way to diagnose it would be by having the tests done. I have no other symptoms other than shortness of breath. My blood pressure is ok, pulse is ok, oxygen levels as well. No swollen legs or anything else.

Do you have any experience in a similar situation and could you advice me please?

Thanks a lot

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SamoyedFan123 · 05/01/2021 19:45

I had a chest x-ray 30 weeks with my twins due to recurrent chest infections, low blood oxygen levels and asthma. I was assured that it was very safe - far safer than not doing the x-ray. I was given a very heavy lead apron to wear that covered my tummy entirely and they explained that the dose of radiation is very small - not much nor than you would get from spending a few sunny days at the beach. All was fine 😊

RosettaR · 05/01/2021 19:51

I had similar and they did an arterial blood test, they said if that came back OK they wouldn't need to do the x-ray. You could ask about that in case it's an option. If that showed a high risk of clots they would have wanted to go ahead with the x-ray but I was lucky and it was all clear.

travelmad · 05/01/2021 20:01

I had both while pregnant (and I did turn out to have a pulmonary embolism). They did a d-dimer blood test before doing either of the scans, which came back positive - but they did say that the d-dimer test is not always accurate in pregnant women. For the x-ray they gave me a a big apron that completely covered my bump, and the VQ scan only had one of the doses (can't remember if it was the breathing one or the blood one - I ended up having more VQ scans after the birth and I'm slightly confused about what I had when). My son was completely unharmed by it all and they did find I had a clot it was well worth it for me.

diamonddforever · 05/01/2021 20:05

Same as pps. I was given a big lead apron, I think the benefits outweigh the risks.

physicskate · 05/01/2021 20:05

A single chest X-ray has about the same dosage of radiation as 10 days of background radiation (roughly). They will put lead around the bits they don't need to see (like uterus), so baby will not even receive the 10 days of background radiation dosage.

How is your ferritin? Low levels have recently been giving me shortness of breath. You can have low ferritin with normal hb (as your ferritin goes down before hb does).

WhiskersPete · 05/01/2021 20:17

What PhysicsKate said. A single X-ray is not going to harm your baby. It just would not happen. Ever.

Original poster

iwanttohaveababy · 05/01/2021 20:25

Thank you ladies.

Physicskate, i suffer from iron deficiency anaemia from time to time so i specifically asked them to check my ferritin levels. They said it was all fine. Also, i got Hashimoto and when my tsh levels aren’t normal shortness of breath appears as a symptom. I check my levels every month though. I speak to endocrinologist quite often too.
I was happy to do the VQ but today they told me i had to get the x-ray as well. So much radiation during pregnancy sounds scary! Also, the doctor gave me the chance to decide on my own if i want to go ahead which makes me think its not so serious, but who knows... 😩
They have done all blood tests required but they couldn’t make a decision based on the results. The D-diner came back high but they say results are always elevated during pregnancy and this test isn’t reliable. I asked for alternatives- only one is CT scan which is worse radiation than VQ.
Im scared i might have a clot which is risky for me and the baby but i cant stop worrying about the side effects of the xray and the VQ 😭

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Original poster

iwanttohaveababy · 05/01/2021 20:26

Whiskers, its not just an Xray. I have to go through an Xray and a VQ afterwords.

OP posts:

PreRaphaeliteMotherhood · 05/01/2021 20:33

I had a chest infection back in October when I was heavily pregnant and they did a chest X-ray. They cover your bump up with a lead apron so the risk of radiation to baby really is very minimal.

I declined the VQ Scan that they wanted me to have as I knew why I was short of breath and it seemed like an unnecessary step but I would have had it if I had any doubts.

WhiskersPete · 05/01/2021 20:36

Honestly OP, the radiation dose they use for both of these procedures is so low it can be compared to background radiation which is around us all the time.

You won't be able to find a single piece of scientific evidence where a baby has been harmed by this.

It would be far more dangerous to you and your baby not have these investigations.

Original poster

iwanttohaveababy · 05/01/2021 21:17

Do you know if MRI would be a good alternative at all?

OP posts:

diamonddforever · 05/01/2021 21:34

My consultant advised against MRI (though that was for a different issue to the blood clots).

Areallthegoodnamesgone · 05/01/2021 22:28

Pregnant radiographer here!
They need to do an X-ray before the VQ to make sure you don’t have any structural issues like an effusion, that would make reading the VQ accurately impossible.
A CTPA (pulmonary angiogram) is the alternative and to be honest is sometimes needed in addition to the VQ if the results are equivocal.
If it were me I would ask to speak to a consultant. If they felt that it was in mine and my baby's best interests then I would 100% proceed with it.

Don’t be alarmed if you are not offered a lead apron, my centre no longer uses them as research shows that rather than reducing the dose, they actually prevent low energy x-rays from passing through and are deposited in your body instead. Every centre had different protocols however.

Higgeldypiggeldy35 · 05/01/2021 22:42

I'm having exactly the same quandary as I have high hr and mild shortness of breath and currently an in patient. I'm having an x-ray tomorrow but they want to do a vq. I was told that it increases risk of childhood cancer but it is still a low risk. They also might want to do a ctpa scan which will increase my personal risk of breast cancer by 15%. If I have neither scan then they will treat me as if I do have a clot but this has implications for birth as may need elective csection or induction due to risk of bleeding when on anticoagulation. I really don't know what to do. I'm a worrier so I think I'll be constantly worrying about cancer risk but I don't want a C-section either. I don't know what to do.

Higgeldypiggeldy35 · 05/01/2021 22:43

Also if I don't have the scan now I can have it after he's born in 6 weeks or so but will have anticoagulation therapy until then and for a few weeks after

IamC · 06/01/2021 05:13

I had these scans a few weeks back.

I decided that despite the scary risks, if I did have a PE that would be a worse outcome for everybody.

So I did the tests. They were negative thankfully.

While I was waiting for the results (3 hour wait) there were a 4 other pregnant women awaiting the same results, or to go in for the same tests. That's a lot in that short space of time, and it made me wonder in a day or even a week how many other pregnant women went through these tests.

Either my hospital is overly cautious about the potential for PE or they are just confident the risk is so low. I'm not sure which.

Higgeldypiggeldy35 · 10/01/2021 09:07

I just wanted to update that I decided to have the scan. After a week in hospital not getting any better they needed to rule out a blood clot on my lung. I had the test and it was ok. I did cry before they administered the radioactive stuff but they reassured me about the tiny risk. Luckily I'm in the clear and it has meant I can stop the high dose blood thinners which were painful injections and left me very bruised on my legs. I hope this helps other people make their decision.

Original poster

iwanttohaveababy · 11/01/2021 14:55

I did it too, had no choice. Ive done the X-ray on Fri and the VQ scan today. I cried too, i am so so scared for my baby girl. Currently drinking lots of water to make sure the radioactive dye goes out my body asap. Need to inject myself with clexane till tomorrow when i should be getting my results. I inject myself in the tummy, twice a day and it’s quite uncomfortable and painful.

OP posts:

Chavonec · 07/04/2021 16:10

Hey, I'm so glad I come across this thread, I'm going through the same thing I have had a xray and now I have to have a VQ I have agreed to the perfusion side to it only but I'm so scared. I don't want to put mg baby at risk. Please help 😪

Abbeyr28 · 09/10/2023 17:06

Hi, I know this was a long time ago.

But how did your scan go?
Xx

dreamerkr · 10/10/2023 00:35

Hey, hope you’re well! I had both when I was 25 weeks pregnant as I went to A&E with a heart rate above 140 and palpitations too. They suspected a PE, so I had to get them done. Well I didn’t have to, but of course I did because of how scary a PE can be. It didn’t turn out to be that thankfully, and everything was absolutely fine. My baby will be turning 1 in 2 weeks time x

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