Desire to have children | Radiation exposure of computer tomography

Desire to have children

An image taken by means of computer tomography always leads to a high radiation exposure. For this reason, computer tomography should only be carried out during pregnancy in an absolute emergency, as it is still not known today what the effects on the unborn child would be. An exception is computed tomography of the head, which has less impact on the unborn child.

If a patient wishes to have a child and has to undergo an examination using computer tomography, this is not a problem in principle. However, it is important that the ovaries and uterus are protected from the radiation exposure caused by computed tomography, otherwise the desire for a child may remain unfulfilled. The problem is that the radiation exposure is highest in our gonads, i.e. in the male testicles and in the ovaries.

It is therefore important to shield the gonads as much as possible during a CT examination of the abdomen so that the radiation exposure during computer tomography does not destroy the desire to have a child. For this reason there are so-called testicle capsules for men who are examined by computer tomography. These capsules are placed around the testicles and shield them so that they are not exposed to any radiation.

Often the nurses or the doctor will point out to the patient the possibility of shielding by testicle capsules, but if they do not do so, the patient should not be afraid to ask for it. For women, however, it is already more difficult, because the gonads of women, namely the ovaries, are located in the body. For women, there is therefore a small lead apron that is placed over the ovaries. This lead apron ensures that at least most of the radiation is blocked and that no excessive radiation exposure stands in the way of the desire for a child.

Sinuses

Computed tomography is also frequently used to examine the paranasal sinuses. Since the entire head is usually x-rayed, this results in a radiation exposure of about 1.8-2.3mSv. This corresponds approximately to the radiation exposure of half a year.

Cancer

Computer tomography sometimes involves very high radiation exposure, which places enormous strain on the body. It is therefore important that a patient must agree to this radiation exposure and should be informed in advance about the risks. The so-called risk-benefit analysis also applies.

The benefit of the examination should always be greater than the risk. It is difficult to say whether the radiation exposure of computer tomography leads to cancer, because it is not known whether the cancer, which appeared years after treatment, was caused by the radiation exposure or not. Skin changes may occur as a result of radiation exposure, but these occur immediately after radiation exposure.

The radiation also causes changes in the DNA of the irradiated cells. This can lead to so-called strand breaks, base loss and many other changes in the DNA. These then lead to the cell multiplying differently than it did before, or even to its death.

Normally, such defects are corrected by the body’s own enzymes. However, it is also possible that the error in the DNA is irreparable due to the radiation exposure. In this case, cancer can develop due to the computer tomography and the resulting radiation exposure. It is therefore always necessary to weigh up the risk against the benefit of the examination.