Any vets out there able to give advice to an equine vet (me) on new job pregnancy dilemma?

[Worriedaboutxrays]

Hi all - hope this is the right place to put this and apologies it’s a bit niche but I’m in a right conundrum.

Equine vet here, and I have just taken up a new job (3 weeks in- all going well!) However, I have just found out I am pregnant again (very early, 4 weeks ish). I have had a lot of fertility issues which include difficulty getting pregnant but mainly difficulty staying pregnant. Whenever surgical interventions have been required previously, the nature of the job has meant time off work to physically recover. This was fine in that sense of the word at my last practice, where I’d been there a long time, and all my colleagues were aware of what was going on so no “awkward” questions were asked, if you like.
However, this is not the case at my new job. I have only just started and I don’t feel like I know them well enough to be comfortable explaining that I am pregnant, but may then not be if I have another loss.

So my main worry is thus:
A large part of my job is the orthopaedics, and therefore the amount of radiation used each day is a fair amount. Obviously this is done safely and following standard procedures however, in order to stop doing this, I will need to tell my new employer that I am pregnant. I am, given the above history and the fact I am very early days, very nervous to do as such as I suppose my chance of another loss is still high.

What would you do? Any ideas on how to approach this? My priority is obviously my pregnancy but I also do feel a bit awkward telling them in the first place to be honest - I’ve been hired to do orthopaedics mainly and this is the area that will be most impacted. I’m also not comfortable discussing any loss openly with people I barely know.

Thanks and sorry for brain dump.

Is there any additional PPE or practices that could be put in place to lower your risk?

have you looked up the risks for the dosage and the guidelines on radiation in pregnancy?

I have no expertise in this area but it’s a bit niche so wasn’t sure you’d get many replies! You might want to do a post with a title about radiation that may attract some health professionals who work in similar circumstances.

Hi, I’ve no experience in this specific area but I have a similar history. A couple of years ago I started a new job in January and fell pregnant in March. I had no idea how they’d react but I was just honest and told them everything including my history and although it was a bit awkward I am glad I did because risk assessments etc were put into place right away. I only told my direct line manager, HR and then one person in higher management. It was a bit intense and weird but I was glad I’d told them.

wishing you so much luck with this pregnancy xxx

surely if you're the one actually dishing out the radiation you must know a bit more about the dosing that you're being exposed to other than it being 'a fair amount'. There are guidelines that cover radiation exposure in human HCPs - surely there must be in vet practice (in human healthcare it seems to be quite hard for radiographers to get above the threshold that would trigger concern for the fetus so long as the usual safety precautions are followed). There will be law covering the employer's obligations to pregnant staff so you just need to tell them - no need to go into all the details really. If you don't get on and tell them then you are depriving them of the opportunity to make sure their processes are appropriate.

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice. I do actually really appreciate it.
It’s mainly the worry about the conversation afterwards if I have another loss- it’s always rubbish but even more difficult when i don’t really know them. I do try and be optimistic each time but I also need to be realistic that this may not be our time yet.
And yes @Greybeardy , fear not!!! I promise I do know a little more about radiation doses than my blase description, however, the amount varies from day to day so much depending on my diary I thought it was easier to go for that! I may go for weeks not doing any. But then spend days with them back to back- it’s a very varied job, which I love but not ideal for this situation!!!