Can X-Rays damage developing ovaries?

When I was about 12 years old...before I began my cycle, I had to have pins placed in my hips to treat a condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). Over the course of my diagnosis, treatment, surgey, rehab, and recovery, I had numerous x-rays. I can only remember a few times when they actually used a lead guard over my abdomen to protect my ovaries. At this time I had no idea what it was for. I didn't start my cycle until I was about 16, and starting then through the past 11 years I've never really had a consistant cycle...lots of skipping months. I'm also slightly overweight, despite a very healthy diet, and a very thin family history. Recently a doctor mentioned PCOS, ran some blood work, but the results did not show PCOS. I will have a ultrasound preformed soon, to confirm this. Does anyone have any information on x-rays and their impact on developing ovaries? I just want find out what may be causing me to be abnormal... and I hope to have a family soon.

Hi unfortunately PCOS can cause all the health problems that you are mentioning you have.

I have endometriosis & a good friend of mine has PCOS, so we talk fairly regulary and use each other as support.

I understand that you want to be able to blame something OR at least find an easy answer--but chances are--your issues are relating to your disease itself.

To answer your question though--yes they can, that is why you are supposed to have that heavy pad over your reproductive organs ALWAYS over that area of your body. However, there are certain other rules, etc for those xrays for the other section of your body and to be fair, I am not sure of them.

If you are concerned, you should check with the governing body of your doctors in your area of the world. In Ontario, Canada that is the College of Physcians.

SO I'm sure if you look online you could find something similar in this area. I'd look for "governing body for medical doctors"...& see about the results. OR alternatively call your doctors office, and ask whom to contact for such information.

I would also suggest to contact a local support group for PCOS sufferers. It seems you have some questions that may be answered by OTHER ppl who have the same disease.

That is what my friend has found, and myself for my specific illness...

SO here's the PCOS for http://www.pcosupport.org/

or check about one in your own area by going online.

Technically, Xrays CAN affect any portion of the body if it is exposed enough, however, it would take fairly regular exposures at large dosages to cause substantial damage.

you should ask your doctor and not online. or go to WebMD

X-Rays i thought can effect u only if ur pregnant. Ask ur doctor for this. We're not professional doctors, believe most of people here have personal experience or heard from others. Good Luck.

It is very hard to shield the ovaries when doing pelvis x-rays. If we use a shield, there is a good possibility of the shield getting in the way of the area of interest, therefore we must re-expose the patient for an other image. It is much easier to shield a male (obviously) during a pelvis x-ray.

The following are taken from a website which has questions answered by qualified medical personel who are experts in radiation and it's effects. Here is what I found:

"QUESTION: My daughter was born in 1982 with a hip click. Recommendations were to double diaper to spread out her hips and legs. She also needed the pelvis region x rayed at separate intervals. Her ovaries were usually shielded with small shields. During one x ray, one of the shields did not cover the ovary (it was difficult to pinpoint where her ovary was over her diapers). It was a much older x-ray machine and wasn't used much. So one of her ovaries was exposed for a one-time x ray on an old-model machine. Knowing that all eggs are present in the ovary at time of birth (and not remembering which side was exposed), does she have to be concerned about an increased risk of birth defects or abnormalities in her children? She is 21 now. I haven't told her of this yet, but I feel I need to know, but want the facts so as to not cause her undue anxiety. She loves children and can't wait to have them. I'd appreciate any input or resources you can direct me to.
ANSWER: The likelihood of any problems with your daughter's future pregnancies due to radiation exposure 20 years ago is minimal, if any. All available data from both human experience and animal studies indicate that any damage produced by x rays, even in doses much greater than hers, is repaired within a few weeks. Even at large doses, only a fraction of the cells that would later develop into ova were damaged. The probability that one of these few potentially injured cells would produce a child is remote. The overwhelming probability favors no issues from her x rays.
Kelly Classic
Certified Medical Health Physicist "

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q27...

"Generally speaking, however, the radiation received in diagnostic studies should not be of concern for having children. There are no identifiable cases of an individual having been affected adversely by preconception exposure of the parent to radiation. The dose of ionizing radiation you received to your ovaries from diagnostic radiation studies of the abdomen is very low and the risk of producing a genetic change in the ovary that may affect future pregnancies is also very low."

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q43...

"The most important characteristic of x rays that concerns us is the dose. You may not know that we ourselves are radioactive and we are exposed to many sources of natural radiation that we cannot avoid. The data from the atomic bomb survivors who received much higher exposures indicates that genetic risks from radiation directly to the ovaries are very small. Studies of cancer survivors from studies performed by the National Cancer Institute also indicate that reproductive risks are barely increased even in women who were treated with chemotherapy and radiation to the ovaries. And remember, you did not have a high dose of radiation to your ovaries."

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q41...

You can also go to this site, and search for the experts answers. Try searching "hip", "pelvis" or "ovaries".

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/

Best wishes.....