I had a pelvic CT scan with contrast done. Will this affect my plans to have kids?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had a lower GI and pelvic CT scan with contrast done at the age of 36 years. I fly a lot. I want kids. Did this scan harm my eggs or increase my chances of developing cancer? Nothing was found in the scan, and the MSV was 8.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read through your query in detail. Please find my observations below.

The contrast CT scan pelvis has exposed you to radiation of 8 mSv as recorded on the machine. For a 36 year old female patient, this means you are exposed to an additional cancer risk of 0.09 percent. In other words, there is a 99.91 percent chance of having no effects due to the CT scan pelvis.

Flying exposes a pilot to radiation of approximately 2.2 mSv/year. Natural radiation we are exposed to is approximately 3.1 mSv/year. In conclusion, the 8 mSv radiation exposure has not caused any significant adverse effects and will not affect your plans to have kids.

Hope this answers your question.