Which information is important to obtain from female patients of childbearing age prior to radiologic procedures?

Which information is important to obtain from female patients of childbearing age prior to radiologic procedures?

• A. Eye Color
• B. Shoe Size
• C. Favorite Food
• D. Date of Last Menstrual Period

Answer: (D)

The important idea is assessing pregnancy risk before procedures that use ionizing radiation. The date of the last menstrual period helps determine whether the patient could be pregnant and, if so, roughly how far along. This information guides safety steps—whether to defer the exam, use the lowest possible dose, apply fetal shielding, or choose an alternative, non-ionizing modality—so fetal exposure is minimized. Eye color, shoe size, or favorite food have no relevance to pregnancy status and are not useful for this purpose.

The important idea is assessing pregnancy risk before procedures that use ionizing radiation. The date of the last menstrual period helps determine whether the patient could be pregnant and, if so, roughly how far along. This information guides safety steps—whether to defer the exam, use the lowest possible dose, apply fetal shielding, or choose an alternative, non-ionizing modality—so fetal exposure is minimized. Eye color, shoe size, or favorite food have no relevance to pregnancy status and are not useful for this purpose.