Chest xray

I haven’t had an xray but I had a scan, like an ultrasound scan but on my chest while pregnant and they deemed that safe due to it being no different from a pregnancy scan. Could that be an option for you?

@Becky possibly, I’ll definitely ask them x

I had one when I was 20ish weeks. I had to have it to be able to get my US visa approved but was really hesitant to get it. I was given a lead skirt thing to wear over my bump to stop some of the radiation and was told that actually it’s a similar level of radiation to being on a long haul flight anyway which put my mind at ease a little

So, with any radiation exposure, the exposure is always weighed against the medical benefit. In your case - if there is something serious going on, it is better finding out earlier rather than later. Have they checked your oxygen saturation? I'd be more inclined to get the x ray now if it's low as low oxygen levels aren't going to be good for baby. Are there any worries it might be a PE? That would be another good reason to investigate. However, a chest x ray is actually a fairly low dose exposure. Plus, like someone else said above, they can give you some lead to go over your tummy. This drastically reduces the amount of radiation that your baby will receive. However, if clinically you're coping and you're otherwise well, they may decide to just wait until baby is here as it won't be long. Lastly, a little bit of radiation is v unlikely to cause any harm. I actually work with radiation and have done all the way through my pregnancy. I have extra monitoring obviously, but I'm not overly worried by it.

I'm a Radiographer, have done plenty of chest X-rays on pregnant women, but not for coughs, for suspected pulmonary embolisms. Happy to answer any questions

@Katie hello fellow radiographer, not sure if you're aware but lead aprons on the tummy increases internal scatter so up to date advice is not to use! Just good collimation and no repeats for missed bases 👍🏻 if your patient really wants lead you can use on the back only, but then you get scatter from detector anyway.....it's a catch 22. We've moved to no lead for pregnant patients because the dose is so low as you say. Less than a banana!

@Charley I'm not a radiographer it's ok 😊 I just know they give them out (For interest, I work in nuc med, so a completely different ball game haha)

@Katie oh sorry your profile says you are!

@Katie oh nuc med is a different ball game! I've been.....once 😆

@Charley ah does it? I sometimes say I am because it's easier 🤣

I had one a few weeks ago. I’d been diagnosed with a chest infection and was getting more and more ill. As said above, the benefit was deemed to outweigh the risk as I was very unwell and in a lot of pain. The chest X-ray showed pneumonia so was definitely worth getting! If you are worried you could ask them to run bloods first? My bloods showed raised infection markers which made them certain an X-ray was worth it. Also ask them to check your oxygen levels - low levels is not good for baby so that was another reason they said X-ray was good option for me.

Hopefully it gets better in the next week then you don't have to worry about deciding 🤞🏻

i had one at 14 weeks x

@Katie yeah I work with radiation also and have throughout pregnancy so in that sense i wasn’t too worried it was just more them being worried. I’ve had my oxygen levels checked and they said they’re fine. I’ve been told it’s a viral infection, but it’s been almost 3 weeks and the cough is getting worse. It may just be viral, but it’s really taking over me days and becoming painful x

Things affecting your chest are so rubbish in pregnancy, because there's already such a strain on your lungs, especially late on. I had a cold a few weeks ago and I've still got a little annoying cough I'm struggling to shake (nothing like yours it sounds like). I would take your doctor's guidance here, but if it's getting worse it sounds like a chest x ray may not be a bad idea if your doctor thinks it's appropriate