Is your blood type positive or negative? This is important to know if you are pregnant. If you carry protein in your blood, you are Rh positive. If you don't carry it, you are negative. 15% of people are generally Rh negative. In case of incompatibility, you need to receive a simple but necessary treatment to protect you and your baby throughout your pregnancy.
What is Rh incompatibility in the blood?
Rh incompatibility is when the mother is Rh negative and the baby is positive during pregnancy. This may cause problems throughout pregnancy. To summarize, each cell has structures called antigens (cells that make antibodies) that resemble many antennas. The antigen on each red blood cell is Rh. Some people have this Rh factor, while others do not. Those that are not positive are negative. This does not matter until pregnancy.
If an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive baby (in cases where it is passed on from the father), the mother's red blood cells do not match the baby's. If Rh-positive cells enter the mother's bloodstream, the immune system sees this situation as foreign and defends it with antibodies, which can harm the baby. This is called Rh incompatibility.
Rh factor test is performed on whom and when?
This test is performed on expectant mothers when they go for their first pregnancy check.
If your test result is 85% of the population. If it is positive like , the dispute is moot. Even if the fetus is positive or negative, there will be no blood cells that will protect the mother's immunity and harm the baby.
If your test result is negative, the father should be tested for the baby's blood result. If your partner is Rh negative, your baby will naturally be Rh negative as well. If your partner is positive, your baby will probably have a positive Rh group, which will cause Rh incompatibility between the mother and the baby. This situation usually does not cause any problems in the first pregnancy. However, incompatibility in the second pregnancy may cause problems.
How is incompatibility treated?
When there is incompatibility between the mother and the baby, the fetus can be protected by preventing the production of antibodies in the mother's body. If the mother is negative at the 28th week, antibody production can be stopped with treatment (RhoGAM). If the baby is still positive within 72 hours, another dose of treatment is administered. If the baby is negative, this is not necessary.
If the baby and the mother are Rh compatible, there is no need for concern or treatment. However, the baby is positive, the mother is negative and If there is any discrepancy, an ultrasound check should be performed every week. In case of any anemia, negative blood transfer to the baby may be necessary. These types of transfers are very effective. However, as long as the treatment I mentioned above (RhoGAM) is applied, there will be no need for transfer.
What are the other incompatibilities?
A similar incompatibility may occur due to other factors in the blood (Kell antigen). Compared to Rh incompatibility, others are very rare. If the father has antigen (an antibody-producing cell) and the mother does not, the baby may have problems. Antibodies circulating in the mother's blood are noticed in standard checks and blood tests. In this case, if the father is positive, the treatment for Rh incompatibility is started.
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