3 pregnancies - 4 children. And each time there was a threat because of a different rhesus... We will talk about my sister Anya.
First pregnancy
During my first pregnancy, my sister registered at 12 weeks. After all the necessary tests were taken, it turned out that she had the first negative blood group, and her husband had the first positive.
This ratio posed a threat of Rh conflict, when the baby inherits the positive Rh factor of the father, and the mother’s body perceives it as a foreign body. For this reason, antibodies are produced in the blood of the expectant mother, penetrating through the placenta to the child and attacking his blood, which can lead to dire consequences, even the death of the baby.
Although, according to the doctors whom Anya consulted, her first pregnancy did not pose a threat, she was worried. Every month she donated blood to check for antibodies, but everything turned out fine. Overall, her pregnancy was quite easy, and they had a healthy Rh-negative son.
Second pregnancy
For a long time, my sister did not dare to give birth to a second child. But the desire to raise the girl prevailed. Almost 6 years after the birth of their first child, she and her husband were expecting a baby again.
In the early stages, the pregnancy proceeded without complications. Anya still donated blood for antibodies, but she took it easier than in her first pregnancy. However, when her belly was already noticeably rounded, and two to three months remained before giving birth, antibodies were detected in her blood.
From then on, she had to donate blood a little more often so she could track how quickly they were being produced. Fortunately, the girl was born healthy. Her Rh was positive. The day after giving birth, Anya was given immunoglobulin, which was supposed to prevent the development of Rh conflict during the next pregnancy.
I remember how perplexed she was when she told me this. “What is the next pregnancy? There are already two children: a boy and a girl. I won’t take any more risks!” But life decreed otherwise.
Third pregnancy
A couple of years later, Anya suddenly accidentally became pregnant. The entire family council decided that since this had happened, we needed to give birth. And she herself was not ready for an abortion. Later it turned out that this time there would be twins.
And active monitoring of antibodies and weekly blood donations began again. This time, the antibody titer in Anya’s blood was constantly increasing, and we were all on edge. At 30 weeks of pregnancy, she was again given immunoglobulin, and 8 weeks later she had a cesarean section.
Two Rh-positive girls were born. But this time the situation was far from cloudless. The condition of one of them was satisfactory; doctors fought for the life of the second for several months.
The baby had to urgently undergo a replacement blood transfusion. There were even fears that part of her brain was affected. She had to spend these few months alone in intensive care. Anya and the second girl were discharged and were only allowed to visit their sick daughter every day.
It is simply impossible to describe how difficult these months were. Thank God, everything worked out. Now all their children are alive and well.
Conclusion
A different Rh factor of future parents does not always pose a danger to the child, but only if the woman is negative and the man, on the contrary, is positive. But even in this situation, complications can be avoided. The main thing is to find a competent doctor who knows how to prevent the occurrence of Rh conflict, and strictly follow his instructions.
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Prenatal diagnosis is important not only to assess a woman’s ability to have a healthy pregnancy or the risk of developing genetic diseases, but also to identify the chance of Rh conflict. This condition is not dangerous for the pregnant woman, but can harm the baby.
What is Rh factor
There are many classifications of blood types based on the presence or absence of certain proteins. The most famous is AB0, in which 4 groups are distinguished. Classification according to the Rh factor, which is designated Rh, is also often used. It can be positive and negative.
What Rh factor a person has is determined by a blood test. Antigens are small protein molecules that coat red blood cells. If the Rh factor antigen is detected in the blood, it is said to have a positive status (Rh+). When the protein is missing, a mark appears next to the blood group - negative (Rh-).
About 85% of Caucasians are carriers of positive Rh.
Paths of inheritance
The child inherits the Rh factor through genes - from the father and mother. As a rule, it receives the status of one of the parents, with Rh(+) being dominant. Sometimes an Rh(+) mother and father may have a child with Rh(-).
There is only 1 exception to the rule: if the parents are Rh negative, the child cannot be born with a positive blood status.
How is it determined
A simple blood test will help you find out your group and Rh status. A sample of the material for research is taken from a finger. The analysis is carried out during the first prenatal diagnosis. If the mother has a negative Rh factor, and the father has a positive one, there is a high probability of conceiving a child with Rh+.
Effect on the course of pregnancy
Different Rh factors in parents do not directly affect a woman’s ability to get pregnant and carry a child, but can cause complications after conception. If a woman is Rh- negative, and the child’s blood has an Rh+ marker, an Rh conflict will arise.
The mother's body will treat the positive proteins as foreign objects and attack them.
This reaction is called sensitization and does not always occur. More often, a strong immune response appears with repeated pregnancies. Sensitization will endanger pregnancy, interfere with the proper development of the fetus, or worsen the health of the unborn child.
For first-time mothers
The composition of the blood is not particularly important. A negative Rh factor in a woman during pregnancy conflicts with the positive blood of her first child only in 1.5% of cases. Organism expectant mother has not yet encountered positive antigen proteins, so immunity against them has not been developed.
During the second and subsequent pregnancies
The risk and severity of a sensitizing response increases with each new pregnancy, provided the baby is Rh positive. Without treatment, Rh incompatibility increases the chance of stillbirth, brain, liver or kidney diseases in the baby. This does not mean that a woman should refuse to give birth again.
Prenatal prevention of blood conflict helps solve this problem.
Rhesus conflict between mother and fetus
When a mother with Rh- and a father with Rh+ have a positive Rh factor after conception, incompatibility occurs. The woman's immune system recognizes the fetal red blood cells as foreign objects and begins to produce antibodies. They penetrate the baby through the umbilical cord and begin to attack his red blood cells.
The risk of Rh factor incompatibility increases after each pregnancy. In severe cases, a conflict in the blood composition leads to anemia, malfunction of internal organs, and can cause congenital malformations and stillbirth.
The situation becomes aggravated if there is a conflict of blood groups of the A0 system (1 - in the mother, and any other in the fetus).
Reasons for the production of antibodies
A specific immune reaction in a woman occurs only when a negative blood group comes into contact with a positive one. This is possible during a transfusion, if a mistake was made by medical personnel, or if the baby’s red blood cells enter the mother’s bloodstream.
The following reasons can force the immune system to produce antibodies against a positive Rh factor:
- Blood loss during childbirth. It does not matter which way the delivery was carried out - caesarean section or natural. The child's blood will still mix with the mother's.
- Artificial termination of pregnancy (abortion) or spontaneous miscarriage. Rh incompatibility appears if an immunoglobulin injection was not given after the procedure.
- Placental abruption. The process is also accompanied by blood loss.
- Ectopic pregnancy.
- Bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy.
- Placental insufficiency.
How can a child's blood enter a woman's blood?
During pregnancy, the circulatory systems of the woman and her baby do not communicate. The mixing of red blood cells is prevented by the placenta. When its protective function is disrupted, or the membrane is damaged, the baby's positive Rh enters the mother's bloodstream, which can cause conflict.
The development of Rh conflict during pregnancy occurs in the following cases:
- After a blow to the stomach or in case of other injury. The blood vessels of the fetus and placenta may be damaged, and the baby's blood will enter the mother's circulatory system.
- After amniocentesis (sampling amniotic fluid) or chorionic villus sampling (obtaining fetal tissue). Both procedures involve puncture of the amniotic sac and are performed to identify genetic or chromosomal diseases.
- Attempts to manually turn the fetus head down before birth. This happens rarely and threatens the development of sensitization during repeated pregnancies.
Possible complications
Rh incompatibility can occur in mild or severe forms. In the first case, the destruction of red blood cells leads to mild anemia, and there are no other effects. In severe cases, the conflict threatens severe complications, including the death of the child.
Frequent consequences of lack of treatment for Rh incompatibility:
- Damage to brain structures and kernicterus. Lead to mental retardation and disability.
- Hydrops fetalis – fluid retention and swelling.
- Loss of coordination. Decreased hearing, visual acuity, speech problems.
- Heart failure or other myocardial defects.
Fetal anemia
Rh incompatibility between a pregnant woman and her fetus can lead to the development of intrauterine anemia. This is a condition in which maternal antibodies attack and destroy the baby's red blood cells faster than the body can replace them. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to all parts of the body.
With a deficiency of red blood cells, hypoxia (lack of oxygen) occurs and disturbances in the development of the fetus appear.
Hemolytic disease of the newborn
Symptoms of Rh incompatibility in a child can be mild, moderate or very severe. When antibodies continually attack the fetus, the baby develops hemolytic disease after birth. This is a condition in which most of the newborn's red blood cells are destroyed.
When damaged red blood cells are processed by the lymphatic system, the substance bilirubin is produced.
Too much of it indicates that the liver and spleen are unable to process old blood cells. If the level of bilirubin is high in a child after birth, the following problems appear:
- jaundice – yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes;
- lethargy, lack of appetite;
- reduced weight;
- low muscle tone.
Treatment
It is impossible to eliminate the Rh conflict; the only method of treatment is prenatal prophylaxis and regular monitoring of the condition of pregnant women and the fetus. For this purpose, even before conception, parents need to donate blood to analyze the Rh factor and calculate the likelihood of a blood conflict.
If antibodies are detected in the mother's blood or the risk of incompatibility is high, she is given an injection of immunoglobulins.
In this case, the threat to the health and life of the child disappears. If Rh conflict was diagnosed after pregnancy, doctors regularly monitor the condition of the fetus using ultrasound. In critical situations, intrauterine blood transfusion or early delivery are performed.
Immunoglobulin injections
Anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin is a special drug obtained from the plasma of donor cells. It is intended for the prevention of Rh conflict. After entering a woman's body, the vaccine destroys positive red blood cells in the blood that come from the fetus. This prevents the production of antibodies and prevents the development of complications in the child.
The drug is administered only in a hospital due to high risk anaphylactic shock. If an adverse reaction occurs, medical workers use anti-shock therapy.
If during an examination the doctor discovers that a woman’s body has already produced Rh antibodies, her pregnancy is carefully monitored.
In what cases are they prescribed?
During pregnancy, if the Rh factor is negative in the woman and positive in the child, immunoglobulin must be administered.
The first injection is given at 28 weeks. The drug is re-administered within 72 hours after the baby is born.
This use of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin helps reduce the risk of Rh factor conflict during repeated births.
Additionally, the drug is prescribed in the following situations:
- abdominal trauma;
- an attempt to manually perform an intrauterine revolution of the child;
- bleeding during pregnancy;
- carrying out invasive procedures for collecting blood or amniotic fluid;
- miscarriage or abortion;
- ectopic pregnancy.
Exchange blood transfusions
If incompatibility threatens the life of the child, synchronous replacement of fetal blood with donor blood is performed. The procedure is called an exchange transfusion and is performed after childbirth. During an exchange transfusion, the baby's blood is replaced with blood with a negative Rh factor. This approach helps normalize the level of red blood cells and prevent serious complications.
If antibody titers constantly increase during pregnancy, transfusion is performed in utero.
Under the control of an ultrasound machine, a catheter is inserted through the anterior abdominal wall into the umbilical cord vein, through which 20–50 ml of donor red blood cells is transfused into the fetus. After birth, an exchange transfusion is given through a vein in the baby's elbow.
Early delivery
If tests show that the child has developed severe anemia, or antibody titers increase 4 times or more, early delivery is performed (37 weeks for primiparous women and 36 weeks for multiparous women). If the cervix can be stimulated by hormones, the preferred route of birth is natural. In other cases, a caesarean section is performed.
In the absence of signs of Rh factor conflict, early birth is not indicated, but post-term birth is not allowed.
After the birth of a child with Rh+ to a mother with a negative Rh factor, vaccination with immunoglobulin is repeated, even if the pregnancy passed without the production of antibodies.
Video
Human blood has two important characteristics - blood group (AB0 system) and Rh factor (Rh system). Most often, during pregnancy, problems arise with pregnancy due to incompatibility according to the Rh system, so we will analyze it first.
What is the Rh factor?
Rh factor (Rh) is an erythrocyte antigen of the Rh system. Simply put, it is a protein located on the surface of red blood cells (erythrocytes).
People who have this protein are Rh+ (or Rh positive). Accordingly, negative Rh Rh- (or negative Rh) indicates the absence of this protein in human blood.
What is Rh conflict and how is it dangerous for the fetus?
Rhesus conflict– the immune response of the mother’s body to the appearance of a “foreign” agent within itself. This is the so-called struggle between the bodies of Rh-negative blood of the mother and the bodies of Rh-positive blood of the child, which is fraught with the appearance hemolytic anemia or jaundice, hypoxia and even fetal hydrops.
During the first pregnancy, the bloodstream of the mother and child function separately from each other and their blood does not mix, but during previous births (possibly also during abortions and miscarriages), the child’s blood may enter the mother’s blood, and as a result, the woman’s body becomes Rh negative -factor will produce antibodies to the antigen even before the next pregnancy occurs. Therefore, a repeat pregnancy may take another early end in intrauterine death of the embryo, and as a consequence, miscarriage.
The first pregnancy usually proceeds without complications, since the mother’s blood does not yet have antibodies to the “foreign” blood of the child.
Simply put, fetal blood cells penetrate through the placenta into the pregnant woman’s blood and if the blood is incompatible, the expectant mother’s body perceives the baby as a “stranger,” after which the protective reaction of the woman’s body produces special antibodies that destroy the baby’s blood cells.
The destruction of fetal red blood cells by antibodies is called hemolysis, which leads to anemia in the baby. The pregnant woman’s condition does not worsen, and the woman is not even aware of the previous threat to the baby’s health.
When does Rh conflict occur during pregnancy?
If the mother's Rh is positive, Rh conflict will never arise, no matter what the blood of the child's father is.
If both future parents have a negative Rh factor, there is also no reason to worry, the child will also have a negative Rh factor, it cannot be any other way.
If the blood Rh factor is negative in the pregnant woman and the father of the child is positive, the baby can inherit both the Rh factor of the mother and the Rh factor of the father.
If the father of the child is Rh-positive, homozygous, and has the DD genotype, and the pregnant woman is Rh-negative, then in this case all children will be Rh-positive.
If the father is Rh-positive, heterozygous, and has the Dd genotype, and the pregnant woman is Rh-negative, then in this case a child can be born with both Rh-positive and Rh-negative factors (the probability in this case is 50 to 50).
Therefore, it is also important for a man to donate blood for the Rh factor to determine the genotype in case of a negative blood group in a woman planning a pregnancy or carrying a fetus.
If there is a possibility of developing an Rh conflict, a pregnant woman is prescribed a blood test to check for the presence of Rh antibodies.
Table 1 - Probability of developing Rh conflict during pregnancy
Judging by the table above, we can say that Rh conflict occurs only when the pregnant woman has a negative Rh and the child’s father has a positive Rh, and only in 50 cases out of a hundred possible.
That is, it is not necessary to experience a Rh conflict during pregnancy. The fetus can also inherit negative Rh from the mother, then there will be no conflict.
It should also be noted that during the first pregnancy, antibodies are produced for the first time, and therefore they are larger in size than during a second pregnancy. It is more difficult for large antibodies of the IgM type to penetrate the placental barrier into the child’s blood; they seem to be unable to “get through” the walls of the placenta, and during the next pregnancy, other, more “modified” antibodies of the IgG type are produced. They are smaller, and their ability to penetrate the walls of the placenta is much higher, which is more dangerous for the fetus. Then the antibody titer increases.
Therefore, first-time mothers should not worry about Rh conflict, just be vigilant (it is enough to determine the antibody titer once a month), and enjoy the pregnancy period, because the worries of caring for the baby and raising him lie ahead.
Prevention and treatment of Rh conflict
During the first pregnancy (i.e., there have been no abortions or miscarriages in the past), the first test for antibodies is carried out from 18-20 weeks 1 time per month (until 30 weeks), then from 30 to 36 weeks - 2 times a month, and after 36 weeks of pregnancy - 1 time per week.
In case of repeated pregnancy, they begin to donate blood for antibodies from the 7-8th week of pregnancy. If the titer is no more than 1:4, then this test is performed once a month, and if the titer increases, more often, once every 1-2 weeks.
An antibody titer of up to 1:4 inclusive is considered acceptable (normal) during a “conflict” pregnancy.
Titles of 1:64, 1:128 and more are considered critical.
If there is a risk of developing a “conflict” pregnancy, but antibodies were never detected before week 28 (or were detected, but not more than 1:4), then later they may appear in significant quantities.
Therefore, for preventive purposes, pregnant women are given human anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin D at 28 weeks, which blocks the work of the woman’s immune system to destroy foreign bodies, i.e. after the injection, the woman’s body will not produce antibodies that destroy the blood cells of the embryo.
It is advisable to carry out an immunoglobulin injection in the absence of antibodies in the blood of a pregnant woman, since in other cases it is simply useless.
The vaccine does not have any effect negative influence on the health of the mother and fetus, it is completely safe.
After an injection (provided there are no antibodies in the blood shortly before the injection, or at least when their titer is no more than 1:4), it is not reasonable to donate blood for antibodies, since a false-positive result may be observed.
It is also advisable to monitor the baby’s cardiac activity by regularly performing cardiotocography (CTG), starting at 26 weeks.
Doppler or Doppler is an ultrasound examination of blood flow in the fetal vessels, uterine arteries and umbilical cord.
When the fetus is suffering, the blood flow velocity (V max) in the middle cerebral artery will be higher than normal. When this indicator approaches the 80-100 mark, an emergency CS is performed to prevent the baby from dying.
If an increase in antibodies is observed and the child’s health deteriorates, this indicates the development of hemolytic disease of the fetus (abbreviated as HDP), then it is necessary to carry out treatment, which consists of intrauterine fetal blood transfusion.
In case of a “conflict” course of pregnancy, the following signs of hemolytic disease of the fetus may be observed during an ultrasound examination:
- enlargement of the fetal abdomen due to the accumulation of fluid in its abdominal cavity, as a result of which the baby takes the “Buddha pose”, spreading the bent legs to the sides;
- swelling of the subcutaneous fatty tissue of the head (ultrasound shows a “double contour” of the fetal head);
- an increase in the size of the heart (cardiomegaly), liver and spleen;
- thickening of the placenta up to 5-8 cm (normal 3-4 cm) and expansion of the umbilical cord vein (more than 10 mm).
Due to increased swelling, the weight of the fetus will increase by 2 times compared to the norm.
If it is not possible to carry out a blood transfusion, then it is necessary to discuss the issue of early delivery. You cannot delay, and if the baby’s lungs have already formed (the 28th embryonic week or more), then it is necessary to perform labor stimulation, otherwise the pregnant woman risks losing the child.
If the baby has reached 24 weeks, a series of injections can be given to mature the fetal lungs so that he can breathe on his own after an emergency delivery.
After the baby is born, he is given a replacement blood transfusion, plasmapheresis (filtration of blood from dangerous cells) or phototherapy, otherwise the destruction of the baby’s red blood cells will continue to occur.
Modern labor intensive care services are capable of delivering a premature baby even if it is born at 22 weeks of pregnancy, so in a critical case, entrust saving the baby’s life to qualified doctors.
Group incompatibility of mother and fetus
Less commonly, but still, blood type incompatibility does occur.
Blood type is a combination of surface antigens (agglutinogens) of red blood cells of the AB0 system, genetically inherited from biological parents.
Each person belongs to a certain blood group according to the AB0 system: A (II), B (III), AB (IV) or 0 (I).
This system is based on a laboratory test to determine two agglutinogens (A and B) in human blood.
- Blood group I - otherwise it is group 0 (“zero”), when agglutinogens neither A nor B were found on red blood cells during a blood group test.
- Blood group II is group A, when the red blood cells contain only A agglutinogens.
- Blood group III is group B, that is, only B agglutinogens are found.
- Blood group IV is group AB; both A and B antigens are present on red blood cells.
Group incompatibility is often observed if the expectant mother has blood type I, and the future father of the child has IV, then the fetus will inherit II or III group blood. But there are other options for blood group incompatibility (see Table 2).
Table 2 - Probability of developing a blood group conflict during pregnancy
Typically, group incompatibility is much easier than Rh incompatibility, so blood group conflict is considered less dangerous, and babies who have suffered a blood group conflict are born with normal jaundice, which soon goes away.
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Pregnancy is the happiest time for every woman. While expecting a baby, expectant mothers, of course, worry about the health of the unborn baby. But expectant mothers with a Rh factor with a “-” sign experience special experiences. Despite the fact that Rh conflict during pregnancy is quite rare, and doctors already know how to effectively deal with this pathology, many women are still afraid of this condition.
Factor during pregnancy
For many years, it was believed that a mother could only have one pregnancy with a negative blood count. Gynecologists forbade our mothers and grandmothers with this feature to give birth to more than one child. In those days it was simply dangerous. Today the situation has changed. Doctors have learned to cope with the incompatibility of indicators between mother and child, and now women can have several children. It is worth remembering that people with negative indicators make up less than 21% of the total population of the Earth.
Rhesus can be positive or negative. If a woman has it with a plus, it does not affect the bearing of the baby. If the girl has a minus sign, and the husband has a plus sign, there is a high risk of incompatibility between the cells of the mother and the baby. You need to know that if a woman is Rh positive and the father is Rh negative, this does not affect the baby’s growth in any way. But even when mommy has a negative indicator, it is not at all necessary that there will be a conflict. If the baby takes this feature from his mother at conception, the pregnancy will proceed completely normally.
Incompatibility
A person’s blood may differ in rhesus and group affiliation. Patients often ask doctors whether blood type matters during pregnancy? Gynecologists say that the group becomes significant only if Rh negative is detected. This means that it doesn’t matter at all whether you have the second group or the third, the main thing for specialists is to establish the Rhesus of the parents when conceiving a child.
If the factor is negative, the patient should be under special supervision for the entire 9 months.
Why are all mothers with a negative indicator so afraid of Rh conflict between mother and fetus? How does Rhesus affect mother and baby? In fact, incompatibility between the blood cells of a woman and an unborn baby can result in very dire consequences. The mechanism of opposition is that when the positive factor of the fetus enters the woman’s bloodstream, it causes a protective immune response in the mother. She does not have protein D, which is the Rh factor. The mother’s body perceives the child’s factor as foreign and begins to rapidly synthesize protective cells against it.
What's going on? These protectors of the female body penetrate the baby’s bloodstream and aggressively destroy children’s red blood cells. As a result, the baby develops dangerous pathological conditions. What danger does this pose to the child? The baby may not be born at all or come into this world with congenital diseases.
Expecting a baby for the first time
Different Rh factors in parents when expecting their first child rarely lead to the development of pathology. The fact is that when negative maternal blood initially meets the child’s protein D, IgM antibodies are formed. These substances have big sizes and cannot cross the placenta. Thus, they do not harm the child in any way, because they simply cannot get into his blood. When pregnant again, the woman already develops other antibodies, such as IgG. It is these substances that pose a threat to the baby, because they are so small that they easily penetrate the placental protection. Thus, a negative Rh factor and 1 pregnancy do not imply the development of pathology. It is worth noting that the first conception should not be confused with the first expectation of a child. If before deciding to have a baby you had an artificial or natural loss of a baby, you are at risk.
Next pregnancy
The danger of a conflict of Rh factors increases with each subsequent expectation of a baby. Women who decide to have more than one child should consider these risks. However, the child does not always inherit the father’s indicator. It often happens that in the first pregnancy the child was positive, like the father, and the second baby inherits blood values from the mother. Thus, each pregnancy in girls with negative blood is purely individual. If a second pregnancy occurs, gynecologists always assess the risks of conflict. Negative Rh factor and pregnancy 2 are always a reason for careful monitoring of the condition of the fetus.
The risks of Rh conflict during pregnancy in the table are as follows:
This table shows that there is a risk only in couples where the woman is with a minus sign and the man is with a plus sign. It is worth noting that if both parents are Rh negative, the risk arises only if the child inherits the factor not from the parents, but from their ancestors. This happens extremely rarely. For this reason, doctors rarely worry about the occurrence of Rh conflict during pregnancy if both partners have a factor with a minus sign. If the parents have a positive factor, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Conflict prevention
All women with negative Rhesus who may affect pregnancy should be specially registered with a gynecologist. Throughout the 9 months, doctors carefully monitor the growth of antibodies in their blood. If antibodies begin to be produced at a dangerous rate, doctors give preventative treatment. It consists of injecting a woman with a special drug that neutralizes antibodies that are dangerous to the child.
However, prevention of conflict between mother and child should be carried out immediately after the birth of the first child. The administration of immunoglobulin should be carried out no later than 3 days after childbirth or termination of pregnancy. This will cleanse the mother’s blood of dangerous cells and prevent the development of dangerous condition during the second pregnancy, if the woman has a negative Rh factor.
What are the dangers of pathology?
Why are Rh conflicts dangerous? Firstly, it is worth remembering that danger arises only when spouses have different Rh factors, and the woman is negative and the man is positive. In other variations there are practically no risks. If Rh conflict occurs during pregnancy, the consequences for the child are quite dangerous. Despite the fact that this phenomenon is extremely rare today, all girls with negative blood are afraid of the possibility of Rh conflict. This is not surprising, because blood incompatibility can cause pathological conditions. What threatens the baby?
Intrauterine death of a child. Miscarriage. Childbirth before term. Hemolytic pathology. Dropsy. Children may have enlarged internal organs. Anemia. Jaundice begins. Deafness. Developmental delays may occur. CNS lesions.
Diagnosis and treatment
Throughout 9 months, a woman must donate blood to detect antibodies. When Rh resistance occurs in a pregnant woman, specialists take the necessary measures to preserve the health of the baby. Symptoms of Rh incompatibility, unfortunately, do not appear in the mother. Many women are not even aware of the problem until they undergo an ultrasound examination. An ultrasound may show swelling of the fetus, which means there is blood incompatibility between the mother and fetus. Also, during the study, you can notice that the fetus is in a position different from normal, the size of the placenta increases, and a double contour of the baby’s head is observed.
All this means that a blood conflict has begun.
At what time can pathology be determined? The first examination is carried out for a woman upon registration in the women's office. If it is discovered that spouses have different Rhesus and the woman is negative, she takes an antibody test every month. Thus, the effect of the Rh indicator on the fetus is checked. If signs of a threat are detected from the 20th week, the woman is placed in a hospital. Now she gets tested every 2 weeks.
If manifestations of Rh conflict are detected, treatment is carried out immediately. First of all, the mother is given drugs that destroy antibodies. All actions are aimed at preserving the life and health of the child and this is the most important thing. If there are symptoms of an emerging conflict, the baby may be prescribed an intrauterine infusion of pure blood.
Of course, women worry whether negative Rhesus may affect the baby, because the causes of the conflict lie in their blood. A girl with an Rh factor of “-” always has risks of pregnancy. However, today doctors can find out about the beginning of the pathology in time and take timely measures. The revolution in medicine that has occurred over the past decades allows every family, regardless of the parents’ Rhesus, to have as many children as they want.
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