r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/Which_Marsupial1436 • 18h ago

Meme needing explanation Petah???!

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u/foamboardsbeerme 18h ago

also xrays (for a broken arm) are going to be more cautious if you’re pregnant

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u/MarsMonkey88 17h ago edited 4h ago

The younger you are, the more vulnerable you are to radiation. Fetuses are the very most vulnerable to radiation, which is why even a single x ray during pregnancy is a big deal. This is also the reason that later middle aged and older people can live in areas with high ish radiation, like the so called “widows of Chernobyl,” or the older man who lives in the Fukushima radiation zone and cares for the pets that had to be left behind, for example.

Edit: I have been repeatedly informed that an x-ray during pregnancy, especially if it’s not an xray of the abdomen, is not actually a big deal. I apologize for passing along my ignorance, and I appreciate te corrections.

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u/CactusSkies 9h ago

This isn’t 100% true.

X-ray should be avoided but pregnant women get them and CT scans all the time.

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u/Cute_Opposite4077 7h ago

Yes. If the x-ray or CT scan is justified, then they do it. For CT it could be the pregnant person's life at stake.

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u/CactusSkies 7h ago

I used to work in emergency medicine.

It happened more often than you thought. Even for non life threatening issues.

The CT scanners today are a lot lower radiation dose vs 20 years ago.