Pregnancy and Radiotherapy: Protecting Fetuses from the Effects of Radiation

Abstract

Some pregnant women have cancer and need to receive radiotherapy treatment. However, radiotherapy can be dangerous, especially for the fetus. Radiation exposure can cause many harmful effects on the fetus, including potential death, growth impairments, and many neurological effects like mental retardation, severe intellectual disability, brain injury, loss of IQ points, and more. Such symptoms can hinder the offspring’s ability to succeed later on in life after birth. Pregnant women who require radiotherapy often have to compromise between their health and the health of their child. Making radiotherapy safer and finding ways to treat already existing radiation exposure symptoms in fetuses is extremely important. Pregnant patients should feel confident in the safety and effectiveness of their treatment and should not have to choose between their health and the health of their child. The objective of the research is to find methods to increase the safety of radiotherapy, especially when it comes to protecting the fetus from the effects of radiation exposure, and also find ways to treat already existing symptoms of radiotherapy.