![]() When this happens, your antibodies may become harmful to your fetus. If your Rh-negative blood is exposed to your fetus’s Rh-positive blood, a phenomenon called alloimmunization occurs, where you begin to produce anti-Rh antibodies. Additionally, blood mixing may occur during medical procedures like amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, or during labor and delivery. Although blood doesn’t typically mix between the expectant mother and the fetus during pregnancy, Rh antibodies can cross the placenta. If you have a negative blood type and you are exposed to Rh positive blood, via pregnancy or blood transfusion, you begin to produce antibodies against the Rh positive blood. When this happens, Rh incompatibility between the fetus and the pregnant person can develop (also known as Rh alloimmunization), which can cause hemolytic disease of the neonate (HDN), a serious, but treatable complication. Rh factor isn’t something to worry about in pregnancy unless a pregnant woman is Rh negative and her fetus is Rh positive. The antigen type and Rh factor both determine if your blood is compatible with another person’s blood-either as a blood transfusion recipient or during pregnancy. If you are Type A negative, that means that your blood doesn’t contain the Rh factor. For example, if you are Type A positive, that means that you have A antigen blood and that your blood cells are positive for the Rh factor. If you don’t have this protein, you are negative. When you have this protein, you are considered positive. The Rh factor is another component that determines if your blood type is positive or negative. When you think of blood types, you usually think of the different letter types that identify the absence or presence of A or B antigens (Type O, Type A, and Type B, etc.). Thankfully, though, this kind of blood type incompatibility is rare, it’s usually caught early, and treatment is effective. ![]() ![]() During pregnancy, if a pregnant person is Rh negative, but their fetus is Rh positive, complications can occur. Some people are positive for this protein, while others are negative. Simply put, the Rhesus factor, or Rh factor, refers to a protein that’s located on the surface of red blood cells. Here, we’ll go through the ins and outs of Rh factor, including what it is, what causes it, who is at risk for complications, and what treatment options are available. This is common-it’s a bit of a confusing concept! You probably want to know if it’s something you need to be concerned about, and you may be confused about what it actually is. If you are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, you may have heard of the Rh factor. Share on Facebook Facebook Logo Share on Twitter Twitter Logo Share on LinkedIn LinkedIn Logo Copy URL to clipboard Share Icon URL copied to clipboard
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |