nce a woman becomes pregnant, her concerns and needs become complicated. The change in her physiology renders her susceptible to certain disorders and diseases, thus, prenatal and extra care is important to continuously monitor her condition. In relation to this, there are certain aspects of health conditions that may need technological advancement. She may have to deal with deciding on the risk involved in case her health condition will require her to pass through these electronic equipment.

The medical world share different opinions about the effects of radiation, laser, and magnetic imaging. Thus, should you find your self in such dilemma, it may help if you had an idea of what is being suggested.

X-ray machines – This machine uses ionizing radiation and conventional medical beliefs have it that even the lowest dose of X-ray radiation can cause serious birth defects. Hence, the issue becomes more critical if a pregnant woman is required to pass through X-ray more than once during her pregnancy. Unless the expectant mother’s life is clearly at risk, a pregnant woman is advised not to resort to this.

CT scan – This machine is actually a modification of the X-ray machine, wherein the radiation is in the form of a tube that rotates in a 360-degree circle while examining the person. This tube then produces hundreds of images, relayed by a detector to a computer, which will interpret the information feed.  It is said that the total amount of radiation received by the body from CT scan is less than that received from an X-ray machine. Nevertheless, undergoing a CT scan is not recommended for pregnant women.

Ultrasound machine - This machine uses application of a pulse of electric charge in a transducer or a converter of one energy into another. In ultrasound, the transducer’s conversion process generates sound waves that are electronically processed and interpreted in a cathode ray tube. As the sound waves are processed imaging is displayed and will be interpreted by an expert sonologist.

There is a kind of ultrasound suitable for pregnant women and is called an obstetrical ultrasound exam and this is the type recommended for pregnant women. Under ordinary circumstances, an ultrasound is used to diagnose other internal organs such as bladder, heart, kidneys, or thyroid gland.

A pregnant woman who goes through ultrasound may not be suffering from any disorder, but only to determine the position of the baby as well as the gender. In addition, this is allowed only on the sixth month of pregnancy. If ever she is suffering from any disorder concerning any of her internal organs, she is considered a high risk and will have to go through ultrasound on her fourth month of pregnancy.

MRI devices – This is a recommended alternative if other forms of technological diagnosis are not allowed. However, magnetic resonance imaging is not allowed if the pregnant woman is in the first three months of her pregnancy. Although there are no published reports that exposure to magnetic fields can cause genetic damage, the possibility that it can provoke genetic mutation cannot be discounted.

EFM devices – This electronic fetal monitoring device is a like a heart beat monitoring device similar to a stethoscope. It was later modified into a fetoscope and was subsequently developed as an EFM device that resembles a portable ultrasound machine; the latter can easily pick up sounds that human ears cannot distinguish, including fetal heartbeat.

There are more electronic devices and equipment being developed to help the pregnant woman cope with her pregnancy. They are all aimed to help monitor her condition, while in the most delicate of stages. However, tests still have to prove that unlike all other devices they will not cause harm to the mother and the baby.

Tags: electronic devices, exposure, MRI, pregnancy, radiation, sound waves, technology, ultrasound, X-ray