[Ralitsa]

What are the complications of preganant women with blood type O negative?

[Guru]

”When Rh negative blood is exposed to Rh positive blood the Rh negative person begins producing antibodies to fight the invading blood. Antigens trigger your body to produce antibodies. Antibodies are usually a good thing and serve to protect a person from foreign invaders.

Now the problem lies when a pregnant woman is carrying a baby that is Rh positive. If the mother has antibodies to the Rh antigen, those antibodies can attack the baby’s red blood cells. This can lead to complications to the baby including anemia, jaundice, and other blood related problems.

There is good news! Rh incompatibilities can be prevented and treated.

Part of the normal blood work up for the pregnant woman is testing for blood type and Rh factor. Her blood is also checked for the presence of Rh antibodies. If antibodies are present, the mother has already been exposed to RH positive blood at some point in her life and her body already has antibodies to the Rh factor. Treatment for Rh incompatibilities may be necessary.

If you already have antibodies for the Rh factor your doctor will want to monitor you and baby closely. If your baby is Rh negative, no treatment will be needed. (If both baby’s mother and father have Rh negative blood type baby will be Rh negative, however Rh positive fathers can produce Rh negative or Rh positive babies.) If your baby is Rh negative, your doctor will have to run tests to monitor your baby’s status. She may check your blood for antibody levels. She may also check your amniotic fluid for breakdown of baby’s red blood cells. The ultimate goal will be to hold off delivery until baby is mature at around 36-37 weeks, but it may be necessary to deliver baby early if baby shows signs of distress. Sometimes doctors will recommend an intrauterine transfusion for baby. As with all procedures there are risks involved.

Thankfully with advancements in technology Rh incompatibility is usually very preventable and treatable.

Rh factor incompatibility can be prevented by administration of the RhoGAM shot. Because baby’s blood does not usually mix with the mother’s until birth, first pregnancies usually have no risk for problems to baby. During birth, bits of the baby’s blood will mix with the mother’s blood. The RhoGAM shot should be given within 72 hours of birth. This shot will stop the mother from developing antibodies to the Rh factor. Because there is a slight risk of placental tears during the later part of pregnancy, the RhoGAM shot is often given at 28 weeks of pregnancy as well. If your baby’s blood type is Rh negative, the RhoGAM shot is not necessary. The RhoGAM shot only provides temporary immunity so it will be necessary to have the shot given after each birth, miscarriage, or induced abortion.”

[Jane]

”Every person has a blood type, (O, A, B, or AB) and an Rh factor, either positive or negative. The blood type and the Rh factor simply mean that a person’s blood has certain specific characteristics. The blood type is found as proteins on red blood cells and in body fluids. The Rh factor is a protein that is found on the covering of the red blood cells. If the Rh factor protein is present on the cells, the person is Rh positive. If there is no Rh factor protein, the person is Rh negative.
The following are the possible combinations of blood types with the Rh factors:
Blood Type A B O AB
Rh positive A+ B+ O+ AB+
Rh negative A- B- O- AB-
Rh factors are genetically determined. A baby may have the blood type and Rh factor of either parent, or a combination of both parents. Rh factors follow a common pattern of genetic inheritance. The Rh positive gene is dominant (stronger) and even when paired with an Rh negative gene, the positive gene takes over.
* If a person has the genes + +, the Rh factor in the blood will be positive.
* If a person has the genes + -, the Rh factor will also be positive.
* If a person has the genes – -, the Rh factor will be negative.
A baby receives one gene from the father and one from the mother. More specifically, consider the following:
Illustration of Rh factor: baby is ++Rh positive If a father’s Rh factor genes are + +, and the mother’s are + +, the baby will have one + from the father and one + gene from the mother. The baby will be + + Rh positive.
Illustration of Rh factor: baby is +-Rh positive If a father’s Rh factor genes are + +, and the mother’s are – -, the baby will have one + from the father and one – gene from the mother. The baby will be + – Rh positive.
Illustration of Rh factor: baby is ++Rh positive, +-Rh negative, or –Rh negative If the father’s genes are + – Rh positive, and the mother’s are + – Rh positive, the baby can be:
* + + Rh positive
* + – Rh positive
* – – Rh negative
Illustration of Rh factor: baby is +-Rh negative or –Rh positive If the father’s genes are – -, and the mother’s are + -, the baby can be
* + – Rh positive
* – – Rh negative
Illustration of Rh factor: baby is –Rh negative If the father’s genes are – -, and the mother’s are – -, the baby will be:
* – – Rh negative
Problems with the Rh factor occur when the mother’s Rh factor is negative and the baby’s is positive. Sometimes, an incompatibility may occur when the mother is blood type O and the baby is either A or B.”

[SiteAdmin]

During the birthing process, blood cells from the unborn child can escape into the mother’s bloodstream. These cells are recognized as foreign if they are a different blood type from the mother and a natural rejection process will ensue with the formation of antibodies. The process is known as red cell alloimmunization

[Lori]

I am O Negative and my husband O Positive. When I had our baby, a little over 40 years ago, the hospital had blood standing by in case there was any kind of problem, but my baby was born healthy and normal, although he did inherit the RH factor from his father. After I delivered, the doctor gave me an injection of Rhogam so that I would not have any problems with future pregnancies. It seems that each successive pregnancy would double the risk of “erythroblastosis fetalis”, or neonatal jaundice, without the Rhogam shot. I was told that after giving birth or after any miscarriages it was imperative that I get another shot of Rhogam. I understand now that Rhogam is also given once midway through the mother’s pregnancy. Thanks to modern medicine there is rarely a problem with RH negative mothers giving birth to healthy babies.

[Ralitsa]

Thanks for sharing 🙂

[Kap]

I read complaints about Rhogam in the internet. There is another product on the market called Winrho. I heard it is healthier than Rhogam (less mercury).

[Nicole]

I am O negative and my husband is O positive. We have two daughters who are healthy, and they are both O positive. I was given the Rhogam injection at 28 weeks in my pregnancy and right after delivery. Same procedure was done for both my pregnancies. Ihaven’t had any problem with the injections so far.

[kiea]

I just wanted to say once the doctor know you are Rh- they will hive u a stop in between 26weeks-28weeks and another after you deliver.

[kiea]

Oops give

[Lisa Lynn Burton]

Yes she can. My mother has O- blood and my father has O+, she had me (also O-) and my brother. She just had to get the Rhogam injection and that was it.

[Author]

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