Formalin and Pregnancy?

[2008Path]

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I have been using this forum for advice for awhile-thank you all for your guidance of rotations, books and boards. As a female resident, I have been asked this question multiple times and am curious for myself. I have heard everything from "avoid formalin for the whole pregnancy" to "nothing has ever been proven so you are fine". I was curious if anyone knows an answer to this question or what approach your program takes towards pregnancy in residents and students.

Thanks

 

[SLUsagar]

I have been using this forum for advice for awhile-thank you all for your guidance of rotations, books and boards. As a female resident, I have been asked this question multiple times and am curious for myself. I have heard everything from "avoid formalin for the whole pregnancy" to "nothing has ever been proven so you are fine". I was curious if anyone knows an answer to this question or what approach your program takes towards pregnancy in residents and students.

Thanks

from what i recall, the dept provided a huge gas-mask sorta device with a pump for pregnant residents to use during grossing. didn't look too bad but not the most comfortable thing i'm guessing.

 

[lipomas]

I have met many pathologists who had no problem getting pregnant. Have yet to encounter one who had a child with a birth defect. Have also met PAs who gross a ton and who had no problem getting pregnant. I know of one PA who could not get pregnant and wasn't sure if formalin exposure was the problem or not.

There are precautions you can take to reduce your own formalin exposure - namely washing specimens in water before you gross them, not leaving containers open, using ventilated hoods, cleaning up spills, etc. If you follow these precautions your exposure is likely minimal.

 

[SLUsagar]

I have met many pathologists who had no problem getting pregnant. Have yet to encounter one who had a child with a birth defect. Have also met PAs who gross a ton and who had no problem getting pregnant. I know of one PA who could not get pregnant and wasn't sure if formalin exposure was the problem or not.

There are precautions you can take to reduce your own formalin exposure - namely washing specimens in water before you gross them, not leaving containers open, using ventilated hoods, cleaning up spills, etc. If you follow these precautions your exposure is likely minimal.

I know a pathologist who got pregnant WHILE grossing. Healthy baby.
😀

 

[LADoc00]

I know a pathologist who got pregnant WHILE grossing. Healthy baby.
😀

Okay. Story time, cough it up.

 

[2121115]

I know a pathologist who got pregnant WHILE grossing. Healthy baby.
😀

To each his own. Everyone has their own fetishes right?

 

[pathgrrl]

"avoid formalin for the whole pregnancy" to "nothing has ever been proven so you are fine".

As a female resident in her child-bearing years, I've done a lot of reading on this subject using PubMed searches, etc. Basically, there is no consensus. However, more (all imperfect) studies than not have shown a weak direct correlation with infertility and spontaneous abortion. No studies that I found focused on Pathology, mostly industry workers in other countries or rats exposed to formalin.

The previous poster probably did not hear about early pregnancy loss from residents or PAs because women tend to keep miscarriage stories to themselves, while successful pregnancies are public info for obvious reasons.

That said, after a pregnancy is established (>6-8 weeks), I felt convinced that exposure was not a problem. There were no studies linking formalin exposure to birth defects. Regardless, it is a good idea for your lungs, brain, and health in general to rinse fixed specimens well and even to use a formalin neutralizer pad when doing biopsies or specimens not well rinsed.

Probably more of an issue to be aware of the entire pregnancy is exposure to radioactive specimens -- sentinel lymph nodes and the specimens that come with them, as well as infectious specimens (use universal precautions and consider cutproof gloves. Finally, standing more than 3 hours a day is correlated with preterm delivery -- so find a chair and sit down.

 

[docbiohazard]

My program purchased respirators w/ organic vapor cartridges rated for removing formalin for our pregnant residents. It was particularly handy during brain cutting (20% formalin), but I think a lot of times they didn't wear them as much as they might've because of the discomfort involved.