help with contrast mri while pregnant

[newlypregnantcouple]

hello,

i just found out yesterday that my wife is pregnant, sounds like good news which it is but she then broke down because she had a two mri's one being a contrast mri a couple weeks ago.  she thinks that she is around 6 weeks pregnant.  she read a lot online and she is really worried that she might have made a mistake that will harm the baby.  is there anyone out there that has experience with having a contrast mri during early pregnancy?  any information would help.  

thanks, john

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Congratulations!  

The first thing to do is to calculate all the dates and be certain that the fetus actually was exposed before getting too worried.  Many times when I have done the dates, it turns out there was no exposure.

IF the baby was exposed, chances are excellent that nothing bad will happen.  Most of the concerns about MRI exposure are theoretical.
Here is a good site for more information:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5209490_mri-safety-pregnancy.html

When it is all said and done, your baby will probably be fine -- they are pretty tough!
I sure hope so!
Good luck!
Dr B

[newlypregnantcouple]

Hello,

Thank you for your response Dr. Brown.  I talked to my wife and she said she had two mri's without knowing she was pregnant.  she said she would have been 4 days and 3 and a half weeks pregnant and the times she had her mri.  

we are just really concerned because she has a older sister with severe cerebral palsy whom we will have to care for in a few years.  she knows how difficult is it to have a disabled kid and cant image taking care of two.  do you know of anyone who have had a contrast mri that early in the pregnancy?  also, are there any known side effects to the contrast fluid?  is it more of a risk to miscarry than for side effects?  

thanks for your time,

john