MRI's

[mommy2be412]

Has anyone else had an MRI while pregnant? My midwife referred me to a neurologist who is sending me for an MRI. I was told as long as it is without contrast it is safe to an unborn baby, but when I call to schedule it the receptionists scare the he** out of me saying some techs won't even scan pregnant women and I'll have to sign a waiver etc etc. I WILL NOT sign a waiver saying it may hurt my baby because my midwife and neurologist said it was safe. What does everyone else think and do you have any experience with this or have you heard any horror stories?

Oh and I forgot to mention, I would be getting the MRI on just my head.

 

[special_kala]

I had a MRI and ct scan during my first pregnancy.

They put a vest over my.stomach to protect baby.

I had the contrast though and had a bad reaction to it (pulled myself out of the machine shouting.and nearly being sick...made.the doctors run lol) but they said no one has reacted.like.that before so it must ne rare.

 

[mommy2be412]

I'm so sorry to hear that, when you say you felt sick what did you feel?

The hospital that's possibly going to do mine said they don't do MRI's with contrast on pregnant women. Would they put a vest over my tummy for an MRI since it's magnetic and not radiation?

 

[special_kala]

I can't remember which one.the vest was for lol. The big machine you go into that clicks loudly?

They did the very.small tester shot and my body flushed like they said it would but I suddenly felt very sick and had to get out. So it was definitely the contrast I reacted too.

 

[FirstTryGal]

I actually had an MRI done on my little one at 32 weeks! They thought he had a head defect, but couldnt tell using just Ultrasound. I was assured that it was completely safe for me and baby, and there was not lasting effects. That said, they did make me sign a waiver saying that they have only been doing fetal MRIs for about 15 years, so they are fairly new and dont know long term effects. Baby moved a little during the scan because of the noise, but he is perfectly fine now, and Im only 8 days away from my due date. I doubt they would being doing them if they knew they caused problems.

Plus, the MRI pictures of my baby are incredible! And he doesnt have a head defect!

 

[Guppy051708]

For the vests, even if you are not pregnant they still usually put one over your chest and over your thyroid because anything of this nature can be really bad for the thyroid. but obviously if you are pregnant they may be extra cautious with the bump area.

If it were me, i would have to know why exactly they insisted on it during pregnancy. If it was something that could wait a few months, i would be more inclind to wait until i wasnt pregnant, regardless of the "safety". What im saying is that if it were me, there would have to be an extremly valid reason. The risk of the MRI would have to be worth finding out whatever it is looking for. But if the risk of not getting one is small, i would hold off, personally.

but if its something youve done your research on and you feel its imperative to get whilist pregnant, then def go for it. Sometimes the risk is worth the testing. In other cases it may not be worth it. Only you can decide which risk is greater (i.e. not knowing but not risking any potentials with an MRI or take the risk of the MRI bc it's important to find out whats going on)

 

[Aurora_rose]

Im having an mri scan. I was referred by my consultant as i have a bone condition and they need to check if my pelvis will allow for a natural birth. He told me they were safe during pregnancy and i didnt have to sign a waiver form and mine will actually be scanned where the baby is!

 

[NewbieMumma]

Hi mummy2be,
I'm due 11 days after you and I am an MRI tech too! Hopefully I can answer a few of your questions and clear up a few of the things I have read here.
The short version of my post is that I would be happy to have my brain scanned if my neurologist felt it needed to be investigated before delivery.
I can't really comment on your scan specifically because I don't know what it is for and how your condition might be affected by or have on your pregnancy if you don't have it done. It is always a risk vs benefit analysis with any medical test or procedure. If you wait, will you be sicker or have a late diagnosis of something that needs immediate attention or will your illness adversely effect your baby? If so, then don't wait.

Firstly, there is no radiation of the birth defect causing kind in an MRI. So you won't be offered a vest or need one and it would not be possible anyway as they contain lead and basically no metal objects can be taken into the room with the machine.
There are no known effects on a foetus from having an MRI, and as a previous poster said, it is common to have an MRI on the baby to check for anatomical defects and there have been no adverse events there either.
It is not recommended to have a scan in the first trimester unless absolutely nessecary, because of the cell division that is going on and the unknown risks there. Most places would be unlikely to do that unless it was life threatening to you not to have the scan. But as you are in 3rd tri, baby is just beefing up really so not too much to worry about there.
The waiver is really just to cover the practice's arses, so if you have a problem afterwards you can't blame it on the MRI. To be perfectly honest, if you did have a problem, although I can't imagine what that would be, I think any competent lawyer would say its not worth the paper it's written on.
If you wait and have the scan after your bundle arrives and they plan on giving you the dye then, you will probably be asked to express if you are breast feeding as some of the dye can be excreted in breast milk, although in a very tiny weeny amount (that is about 100 times smaller than the amount they would be happy to actually give your baby is he/she needed a scan).
Is there a women's/childrens hospital you can go to? They will be most familiar with scanning pregnant women and probably be the best at explaining things and putting you at ease.
Hope that helps.