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Roy Pitkin, M.D., is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and is the former chair of the ob/gyn department at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He is a frequent advisor to national health agencies on women's health issues and has received numerous international honors for this work. Your Baby Today is proud to feature this expert Q&A with Dr. Pitkin. New questions and answers will be added to this page regularly. If you have any questions for Dr. Pitkin, please write to him at pitkin@yourbabytoday.com. While Dr. Pitkin cannot respond to each individual inquiry, we will post answers to the most commonly asked questions here. Q: How safe are dental X-rays during pregnancy? A: It's not clear whether dental X-rays are safe to get during pregnancy. Since no one knows what level of radiation is safe, or how much (if any) risk to your unborn baby comes with a given dose, the most prudent approach is to postpone elective X-rays (i.e., those for which there is no specific indication) until after your baby's birth. However, if there is an acute problem and dental X-rays are important in making a diagnosis and deciding proper treatment, then they should be done because of their importance in promoting a woman's overall health. To help reduce the amount of radiation your body receives, the technician will cover your stomach with a lead apron, a standard practice for anyone receiving X-rays. Past Questions: How safe are dental X-rays during pregnancy? My first child was delivered by cesarean section because he never descended through the birth canal. What are the chances of my delivering vaginally with my next child? I read somewhere that you shouldn't sleep on your back while pregnant because it can harm the baby. Is this true? Can you increase your odds of having one sex baby over the other? What exercises can I do during pregnancy to make labor easier? Should I see a doctor before I attempt to conceive? How soon after I've become pregnant should I see the doctor? I've developed horrible back pain 5 months into my pregnancy. Is it safe to have a chiropractor adjust you while pregnant? What about massage or acupuncture? How soon can I get an epidural during labor and is there any point during labor where it's too late to get one? I'm 27 weeks pregnant and my feet are achy and swollen most of the time. Is there anything I can do to alleviate the swelling pain? It took two years to conceive my first child without the help of fertility treatments. Should I expect it to take as long when we try for a second baby? I'm 33 years old. I spent the first trimester of my pregnancy nauseated and throwing up. I couldn't even stomach prenatal vitamins some days. Does this mean my baby didn't get enough nutrition? I'm in my second trimester and have been experiencing intermittent pain on both sides of my abdomen, though it most often occurs on the right side. Should I be worried? My wife is 31 weeks pregnant with our second child. She is a small woman in good shape. In last week's office visit her uterus did not grow from her previous visit. The doctor wants to do an ultrasound. The baby has excellent movement. What can be wrong? I am 11 weeks into my first pregnancy. Before becoming pregnant I weighed 146 lbs. with a height of 5' 8". I am now about 155 lbs., which keeps fluctuating up and down each day. Is this normal weight gain or should it be more? When will weight gain increase? I'm 7 weeks pregnant and producing excess saliva, which is only adding to my nausea. Why is this happening and will it continue throughout my pregnancy? I was put on bedrest for the last month of my pregnancy and I'm finding it hard to sleep at night when I've done basically nothing physically strenuous all day. What can I do to make myself more tired at night? I have stopped taking birth control pills after 10 years of use. But I haven't had a period. How can I become pregnant? What's the difference between a nurse-midwife and a doula? Should I see a doctor before attempting to conceive? How soon after becoming pregnant should I see the doctor? What's the difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 ultrasound? I'm 20 weeks pregnant and have been suffering from constipation. Could the iron in my prenatal vitamins be contributing to this condition? Can I start trying to have a baby as soon as I take my last birth-control pill, or should I wait to clear the drug out of my system? Is it safe for me to continue biking throughout my pregnancy? I'm only 8 weeks along and I've already gained 10 pounds. At this rate, I'll be a whale by the time I deliver. What's happening to my body? I'm 11 weeks pregnant, and a large object fell on my stomach during a home project. I have pain in my abdomen and am worried that I have injured my baby. I have been using lotion for a skin condition during my pregnancy. It contains Vitamin A. Will this harm my baby? Is it possible to be pregnant if you have had a tubal ligation? I just found out I am pregnant. My mother has had many miscarriages as well as 5 healthy children. Is miscarriage hereditary? Is ultrasound recommended in pregnancy? At what stages of pregnancy? What can I expect to learn from it? In my first pregnancy, I developed pre-eclampsia. What are the chances of this happening in my second pregnancy, and what can I do to prevent it? Does walking help to speed up labor? I was admitted to the hospital with a severe kidney infection and dehydration. I am 12 weeks pregnant and am concerned that the antibiotics I am taking are too strong. Will they affect my baby? My partner drinks a lot of coffee. Can this damage sperm? My daughter is 6 months old and was delivered vaginally. Intercourse has been painful ever since the delivery. What could be causing this? I have been experiencing severe morning sickness. When will it end? My husband smokes. Can tobacco damage his sperm? I'm 5 months pregnant and have developed sciatic pain. What's the best way to prevent and relieve the pain? When is an ultrasound typically done during a pregnancy, and what is the technician looking for when it is done? I don't know if I've ever had chicken pox. Should I consider getting the vaccine before trying to become pregnant? Are tanning beds safe to use during pregnancy? How common is depression during pregnancy? Are the signs similar to regular depression?

The content on these pages is provided as general information only and should not be substituted for the advice of your physician.

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