MRI during first trimester of pregnancy does not affect foetus

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A new study says that Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during early stages of woman's pregnancy does not increase the risk of baby's stillbirth, or death soon after the birth, or the baby being born with defects,

"Having an MRI at the earliest stages of pregnancy does not seem to alter the development of the foetus," said Joel Ray, a physician and researcher at the St. Michael's Hospital in Ontario, Canada.

The study found that such children are also free from risks of vision loss, hearing loss or cancer in their first four years.

However, women who had an MRI with the contrast agent gadolinium at any point in pregnancy showed a higher risk of baby's stillbirth or neonatal death, but the incidence was few. 

A slightly higher risk of the children developing a rheumatologic or skin condition was also found in gadolinium-assisted MRIs.

(With IANS inputs)