MRI and Pregnancy

[Sumada]

Not sure if this should be in the pregnancy forum, but thought I would try here first...

Does anyone have resources or advice about having an MRI while pregnant? I am jumping the gun here and trying to be prepared for the worst case scenario...

A little background - I am 7 months pregnant and had a sledding accident with my son. We were sliding on our butts down a hill and in order to avoid crashing into my son, who was stuck at the bottom of the hill, I rolled out of the way and twisted my knee up really bad. I haven't been able to walk since. (2 people had to carry me and had to call my hubby to pick us up.)

X-ray showed no broken bones. This happened 3 days ago (Tuesday). Both the medical doctor and chiropractor think I have some soft tissue damage - pulled or torn ligaments. I am usually a very active person and the thought of having a torn ligament is really scary to me - the thought of having a new baby soon and not being able to run around with my toddler or go on walks or runs...

So it had been suggested by my MD and my chiro if things don't get better, an MRI may have to be done to determine the damage. Now my chrio says don't do anything until after the baby. I think my MD wants it sooner, although he just said "we may have to do an MRI if things don't get better." My midwife is gone until Monday. I would for sure consult with her before anything.

I did a quick Google search and most of what I found was that MRIs are probably safe for mother and fetus, but I am pretty skeptical of the medical profession. I feel like there is more to the story. Looks like there is debate on whether the contrast dye is safe for breastfeeding mother. I for sure plan to breastfeed.

Also, another factor in all of this is I am on state health care and only qualify b/c I am pregnant. Part of me is tempted to do any knee treatment before my coverage runs out (60 days after the baby is born). Of course, I would only do this if it doesn't risk the health of my baby or my body.

I really feel like I am in tune with my body and strongly feel like something is not right in my knee joint. Let me know what you think! Thanks.

[Masel]

You don't always needs the contrast dye for an MRI. I needed it for a head scan but not for a knee.  The knee procedure was last spring and it was an open MRI. Only my leg was in the machine. 

It's magnets, not radiation like an x-ray. The x-ray you already had was probably worse.

I do not mean to make light of your fears but my first thought was "as long as your baby doesn't have any piercings he or she should be fine."

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I think you should take care of your knee. When I was injured last spring my baby was only 5 months old. I came across a lot of stories of women who were told to just wait and see and what could have been a simple to repair lead to painful arthritis later. They gain weight and are depressed because they can't do things like you mentions - play with your kids. Women have a greater tendency for ACL tears. I had torn the meniscus and it had doubled over causing a lot of pain. They found out that my ACL was partially torn during the meniscus removal. I done a lot of work since then to build up muscle to support the ACL. When I do anything challenging I wear a knee brace. 

I don't see them doing surgery while you are still pregnant. My surgical team had a brief freak out because I was nursing. I called ahead to the surgery center to get an idea of what drugs would be used. The nurse anestasis was very helpful. He gave me a list and I double checked it at Hale's site. The anesteologist the day of the surgery was aweful but by then I was just double checking. I pumped a lot ahead of the surgery and only had to pump and waste for 12 hours afterwards. 

[Sumada]

Thanks Masel.

I'm reading up on ACL tears (I don't know for sure if I have, but trying to get info before seeing the doc again) and it sounds like they can be diagnosed without an MRI. I for sure will get second and third opinions if they tell me to just wait and see.

[crunchy_mommy]

I had an MRI of my back/side while I was pregnant with DS. It was an emergency so I didn't have time to research it beforehand, but what I was told at the time was that MRI's are considered safe BUT they haven't been around long enough to conclusively say there are no long-term effects to the baby (i.e. 30 years down the line or whatever).

My now-2yo DS was/is fine, if I recall correctly the MRI was done around 25 weeks I think. He has a birth defect but it is not due to the MRI (the defect he has occurs much earlier in pregnancy and has no known cause). He is terrified of loud noises (way more than a typical toddler) & I have to say it has crossed my mind that this could be related to the MRI which is really loud, but it could just be him as well.

All this is totally anecdotal of course!! If it hadn't been an emergency, I probably would not have had the MRI done (I wouldn't even touch a single Tylenol while I was pregnant), but it does seem low on the scale of dangers -- in fact, the MRI was in place of the xray they would normally do, I guess MRI's are considered safer than xrays for pregnant women.

[Sumada]

Thanks for sharing your experience crunchy_mommy. That is really interesting your son is scared of loud noises b/c while I was researching I came across an article that raised concerns about the loud noise of an MRI and its effect on the fetus. It may have nothing to do with the MRI, but I'm glad you brought it up.