NHS staff told to ask men if they are pregnant before X-rays

NHS X-ray operators have been told to ask men if they are pregnant before conducting scans, The Telegraph can reveal.

Radiographers at multiple hospitals have been told they must check whether all patients aged 12 to 55 are pregnant, regardless of their sex, as part of inclusivity guidance.

The guidance was written after an incident in which a trans man who was unknowingly pregnant had a CT scan, and tells staff to be inclusive of transgender, non-binary and intersex patients by not making assumptions about people.

The radiation from X-ray, CT and MRI scans, as well as cancer treatments, can be dangerous to unborn babies, but forms designed to be inclusive have caused confusion and anger among patients and pose a risk to their safety, according to NHS staff.

Radiographers told this publication the measures had left men storming out of appointments and women in tears because of “invasive” fertility questions. They say patients are being asked to fill out pregnancy forms stating their sex at birth, preferred name and pronouns, and read “ridiculous” statements about people who are born with variations in sex characteristics.