Final answer:
It's crucial for a pregnant woman to inform healthcare providers about her pregnancy due to the risks that X-ray exposure presents to the developing fetus, including the potential for cell damage and genetic mutations.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is important that a pregnant woman always tell her healthcare providers she is pregnant before receiving any X-ray examinations because exposure to X-rays can damage a growing baby (option c). X-ray photons carry considerably more energy compared to visible light, and this energy has the potential to harm the developing tissues and cells of an embryo or fetus.
Even though X-rays are essential in medicine for imaging the human body, there is a carefully weighed risk of cell damage against the benefit of diagnostic information obtained. Specifically, during each prenatal stage, genetic and environmental factors can affect development, and radiation may damage DNA and cause mutations in embryonic germ cells, leading to severe impacts on the offspring.