In recent decades, many couples have become very responsible for the issue of childbearing. Most of them carefully plan the birth of a child, especially if the parents have any health problems or deviations from the norm.
Many are interested in their blood type, the compatibility of parents for childbearing is largely related to this important indicator. But even more important is the Rh factor.
What is blood type and Rh factor?
There are 4 blood groups, each of which has its own characteristics
The concepts of blood group and Rh factor are relatively young. Blood transfusions from one person to another were occasionally practiced in antiquity, but did not always lead to positive results, as they sometimes caused a hemolytic conflict and the patient died. Religion, with its prohibitions on the study of the human body, also stood in the way of blood research.
The first three blood types were discovered only in 1900 by Karl Landsteiner from Vienna, and the fourth was discovered in 1907 by the Czech Jan Jansky. The Rh factor was only identified in 1940 by Landsteiner and Wiener.
The blood group is individual characteristics antigenic properties of red blood cells. In total there are 4 groups, according to the international classification, designated as follows:
- The first is 0.
- The second is A.
- The third is V.
- Fourth - AB.
When a child conceives, all four blood types are formed at once. He can inherit both paternal and maternal blood, as well as variations of the blood types of his ancestors. So the opinion that a child can have only the blood of the mother or only the blood of the father turns out to be erroneous.
Rhesus is an antigen found on the surface of red blood cells. If it is, and such people are the majority, the blood is considered Rh-positive. Part of the population does not have this protein, so their blood is called Rh-negative.
Where and how can you find out your blood type?
Rh factor is indicated by "+" or "-"
The importance of the blood group is great for all people, but it becomes especially important if you want to have children. It is equally important to know the indicators of the group and the Rh factor for people at risk, for example, the military, athletes, especially extreme sportsmen, tourists, firefighters, policemen, rescuers, huntsmen, doctors and all others whose activities are associated with a high risk of injury and loss blood.
Testing for blood type and Rh factor can be taken at any laboratory or clinic with available staff and equipment. Previously, for these purposes, they took blood from a finger, now they prefer to take a sample from a vein. This procedure is quick and almost painless.
It is better to conduct such an analysis in advance and put a stamp on the group and Rhesus in the passport.
In some countries, the military and other people at risk are required to wear patches, badges or bracelets with these vital data. Their presence in any critical situation can save a life. Special preparation for the test is not required, it is only desirable to pass it on an empty stomach. The group is determined using a special test.
Identification of the Rh factor is even more important, especially when planning a pregnancy. The test is most often carried out together with the determination of the blood group.
Compatibility of blood types of parents for conception
When a blood type is revealed, the compatibility of parents may be at risk due to a mismatch not so much in groups as in the Rh factor. Basically, the blood type matters if you have to perform a transfusion.
More information about the rezu-conflict can be found in the video:
It is believed that the first blood type is a universal donor, that is, its owner can give his blood to all other groups, and the fourth is a universal recipient, that is, all other blood types are suitable for her. Modern doctors prefer to transfuse blood of the same group in order to avoid the slightest conflict.
The incompatibility between the blood of the husband and wife is important if both have a genetic pathology that can be transmitted to the child and cause his illness or even death.
Causes and danger of Rhesus conflict
It is desirable that the Rh factor of the mother and father be the same
The mismatch of the Rh factor can cause the so-called Rh conflict. It occurs only if the mother's blood is Rh-negative, and the father's blood is positive. If the Rh matches, or the father's blood is negative, the conflict does not happen.
With a normal first pregnancy, conflict almost never occurs. In order for it to manifest, the positive blood of the fetus must mix with negative blood father. At the same time, antibodies begin to be produced in the woman's body, attacking the fetus as a foreign body.
Rhesus conflict can lead to fetal rejection and termination of pregnancy.
In the normal state, the blood of the fetus and mother does not mix. Most often this occurs in the presence of pathologies of gestation and during childbirth. Since there is very little time between mixing and the onset of the reaction, doctors have time to take action and protect the baby from developing hemolytic disease. To do this, you just need to immediately place it under special lamps.
During subsequent pregnancies, the risk is much greater, since antibodies are already present in the woman's body. But medicine does not stand still, and now, even with a negative Rh factor, women successfully become pregnant and give birth to healthy children.
Noticed an error? Select it and press Ctrl+Enter to let us know.
When the issue of conceiving a child is of great importance, especially if it is not possible to get pregnant for a long time, many couples turn to specialists. In fact, the family planning office must be visited from the very beginning. The examination will help determine all the compatibility factors between parents so that the baby is born healthy. The compatibility of blood types for conception plays a particularly important role.
What effect does group compatibility have on conception
The human erythrocyte membrane contains many antigens, which are protein or carbohydrate molecules. Antibodies may form in the blood serum against these antigens. By binding to antigens, antibodies cause the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis). More than 4 dozen antigenic systems are known, but the most famous are the AB0 systems and the Rh factor, it is he who influences the success of bearing a child. All doctors agree that the main influence on the fact of conception is the state of health of the parents, and stories about the incompatibility of certain blood types, which leads to the inability to become pregnant, are a myth.
If partners, despite unprotected sexual intercourse, do not conceive at the moments of ovulation, this does not indicate the incompatibility of groups, but the presence of serious diseases, often of the reproductive system. Common ones are:
- diseases of the genitourinary system, provoked by infection;
- diseases of the thyroid gland, endocrine system;
- obstruction of the fallopian tubes, other similar pathologies;
- problems with sperm motility in men, others.
As for infectious diseases of the genitourinary system, both spouses have them at once, so treatment is prescribed for both the husband and the wife. In other cases, only one of the partners may need therapy.
Undoubtedly, genetic heredity is an important factor determining the possibility normal development child, so many women worry about blood type compatibility. But, as already mentioned, the conception and full development of the embryo is affected by the compatibility of the parents in terms of the Rh factor of the blood.
What you need to know before conception
The main thing you need to know is which group both partners have. In addition to the analysis for its determination, it is also recommended to go for a study on antibodies to the Rh factor. The following describes in more detail in which cases a Rh conflict can occur that interferes with the bearing of a healthy child.
Also, every expectant mother needs to learn more information about such facts:
- In some cases, problems can arise not only because of the Rh factors, but also as a result of differences in the group itself: a woman has a second, a man has a third / fourth; a woman has a third, a man has a second / fourth.
- According to statistics, the owners of the fourth group have the most problems with bearing a fetus, so they are usually under the special supervision of a doctor.
- The ability to conceive decreases not only because of incompatibility in blood group, it can also be affected by pelvic diseases, fibroids, cysts, and other neoplasms.
To prevent the occurrence possible problems it is recommended to visit a gynecologist, a family planning office before conception.
Blood group compatibility table - I, II, III, IV
Many couples strive to find out the blood type of the future baby, this can be done without waiting for his birth, and earlier than the sex of the child on ultrasound. To do this, it is enough to know the groups of both parents in order to predict the blood type of the unborn baby with a certain accuracy.
The table below helps to determine the combination of different parent groups among themselves:
The table shows that when the groups of parents are the same (except 4), then the child will have exactly the same, if they are different, he can have one of them, maybe another altogether. In some cases, for example, when parents have groups 1 and 4, children can have absolutely any group.
Rhesus conflict during conception
Rhesus conflict is a serious problem that can be an obstacle to pregnancy or successful gestation. It occurs when a woman has a negative Rh factor, and a man has a positive one, while the fetus acquires a positive gene from the father.
To understand what happens in the female body, why it rejects the fetus, it is necessary to have a shallow knowledge of genetics. When the erythrocytes of the embryo carry antigen proteins related to the positive Rh factor (Rh +), the mother's body perceives the erythrocytes of the child as foreign bodies and produces antibodies to them. These antibodies bind to antigens on the surface of red blood cells and destroy them.
However, the first pregnancy most often proceeds normally, because the circulatory circles of the fetus and mother are normally isolated from each other. Only during childbirth does the mixing of the blood of the mother and child occur - then the sensitization of the mother's body occurs, and the production of antibodies begins. By the next pregnancy, antibodies to Rh-positive red blood cells are already circulating in the maternal blood. Their feature is that they are able to penetrate into the blood of the fetus and destroy its red blood cells.
Consider how the Rh factor is inherited.
| Rh factor of the mother | Father's Rh factor | ||
| Rh+ (DD) | Rh+ (Dd) | Rh-(dd) | |
| Rh+ (DD) | Rh+ (DD) - 100% | Rh+ (DD) - 50% | Rh+ (Dd) - 100% |
| Rh+ (Dd) | Rh+ (DD) - 50% | Rh+ (DD) - 25% | Rh+ (Dd) - 50% |
| Rh-(dd) | Rh+ (Dd) - 100% | Rh+ (Dd) - 50% | Rh- (dd) - 100% |
There are cases when there is a Rh-conflict.
As you can see from the table, even if both parents are carriers of a positive Rh factor, this is not a guarantee that they will not be born Rh negative baby.
Important! Some partners do not know their Rh factor, they are not even aware of the consequences of their negligent attitude to the issue of conception. Doctors urge everyone to find out the characteristics of their blood type, doing this not only during a transfusion in a critical situation, but in advance.
Consequences of Rh conflict for the fetus
Hemolytic disease of the fetus is an inevitable consequence of the Rh conflict during conception. If the embryo managed to survive, serious changes begin to occur with it. The mother's body continues to intensively produce antibodies, when they enter the fetus's bloodstream, binding to its Rh-positive red blood cells, the latter are destroyed. This happens in the spleen of the unborn child, the newborn has an enlarged spleen.
Hemoglobin is released from collapsing erythrocytes, which, breaking up, passes into bilirubin through several successive transformations. It is the increased content of bilirubin, which has a yellow color, in the blood, organs and tissues that causes the yellow color of the child's skin - this disease is called hemolytic jaundice of newborns.
Bilirubin is neurotoxic, it can affect both the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain. Delayed effects can be paralysis, hearing impairment, mental retardation.
Also, due to the breakdown of red blood cells, their number in the blood decreases, the child develops hemolytic anemia. Since there are few erythrocytes, which are oxygen carriers, the tissues of the fetus and newborn suffer from a lack of oxygen - hypoxia and intrauterine growth retardation occur.
There are three main forms of hemolytic disease in a newborn:
- Anemic. The easiest option. The main symptom is excessively pale skin, enlarged liver and spleen. In the blood, erythrocytes and hemoglobin are reduced. Treated with blood transfusion. Usually there are no serious health problems in the future.
- Icteric. In addition to anemia, there is jaundice, enlarged liver, spleen. The skin may become intense yellow or even yellow-brown. Amniotic fluid may be yellow. Reflexes in newborns are reduced, they are lethargic, they suck badly. Requires urgent treatment.
- Edema. The most severe form. Massive intrauterine destruction of red blood cells leads to severe anemia, hypoxia, metabolic disorders, tissue edema. The fetus dies before birth or is born in an extremely serious condition with widespread edema. The skin is very pale, shiny. The child is lethargic, reflexes are depressed, severe cardiac and respiratory failure, severe enlargement of the liver and spleen, large, barrel-shaped abdomen.
Important! When registering a pregnant woman, it is imperative to determine the blood type and Rh factor of the mother and father to identify the risk of Rh conflict. It is possible to recognize hemolytic disease in the early stages if it is carried out in a timely manner on ultrasound with a mandatory study of placental blood flow, at least 3 times a blood test for the concentration of anti-rhesus antibodies is required, consultations with the attending physician are required.
Rh factors matching each other
The most optimal for successful conception are the same Rh factors for partners, and it does not matter at all what group they have. For example, 2 positive and 3 positive are perfectly combined, with conception, fetal development, there can be no problems associated with blood incompatibility.
Problems arise when a combination of 1 negative and 1 positive, and if negative - in a woman. As described above, it all depends on whose gene the fetus acquires, if the paternal one is positive, then an Rh conflict will occur.
You can determine the Rh factor in most clinics by donating blood from a finger. You can also purchase a special test sold in pharmacies. The package usually contains an applicator, containers where blood is placed, and special solutions. Doctors advise not to use such tests without special skills, but to contact the laboratory.
Incompatibility between the organisms of the mother and fetus can occur due to different Rh factors when an Rh conflict occurs. Its consequences for the child may be different: the embryo may die in utero, or be born with a certain form of hemolytic disease. There is a chance that a completely healthy baby will be born. In any case, before planning a conception, every couple is advised to contact a family planning center.
With the same Rh factor in parents, in a child it can be different?
It is not at all necessary that a child can have the same Rh as parents, it can be different and heredity matters. If the father has a negative Rh factor, then it can be passed on for generations, but more often the child has a similar Rh with the parent.
My husband and I are both Rh positive, and our son is Rh negative. Because my dad is also negative. That is, I have a chance to give the child both a positive and a negative Rh factor.
If both parents have Rh +, and one allele of the gene responsible for Rh is zero, the other is positive, then 25% of the children will have a negative Rh factor, the rest will be positive. If both parents are Rh-, then the child will be 100% Rh-. Because Rh + is a dominant gene.
The Rh factor is determined by two genes: from the father and from the mother. A carrier of two pluses (++) and a plus / minus carrier (+ -) have a positive Rh, since plus is a dominant gene.
Those. parents with a positive Rh factor can be both + -, in this case, the child can have Rh (-), i.e. negative.
If parents have the same Rh factors, this does not mean that the child will have the same Rh factors.
An example from our family.
My wife and I have a positive Rh factor (+) and a blood type.
The daughter's blood type and, surprisingly to everyone, the Rh factor is negative (-).
My husband has a negative Rh factor, and I have a positive one, both daughters have a positive Rh factor, it was not transmitted, but in general 25 percent of children can be negative, which girls would not really need
If both parents have a positive Rh factor, then the child may well be negative. A positive Rh is designated RR or Rr, it is dominant. A recessive negative - rr. Therefore, if the parents have Rh Rr (positive), then the child in 25% of cases can be negative and 75% positive (mother and father Rr, and children can be RR, Rr or rr).
And if both parents have a negative Rh factor, then the child will also be negative.
I am such a child. Both of my parents are Rh positive. And mine is negative. I found out about this only when I became pregnant and in the antenatal clinic they determined my blood type and Rh (until the age of 30 I did not know either one or the other). It was then that I began to study this issue, I found out that this is possible. Mom remembered that my grandmother (her mother) had a negative Rh factor.
Maybe the child has a completely different Rh factor than the one that the parents have, there is a dependence on genes, how strong they are, and they can manifest themselves through generations. There is no guarantee that a father and mother with a positive, the child will only have the same.
Through the generation, a negative Rh can be inherited, according to the laws of genetics, this probability is 25%. But after two generations - no longer, so if you and your husband and your parents are Rh-positive, then your child cannot be Rh-negative. If both parents are Rh-negative, then regardless of the Rh of grandparents, your child cannot be Rh-positive.
Let's talk about what you need to know about when the mother is Rh positive and the father is negative. From the article you will also learn what effect the Rh factor has on pregnancy and how the Rh conflict occurs.
Our blood has two indicators important for medicine:
Kilograms will disappear before our eyes!
Easy way to lose weight. find out
main secret
- blood type;
- Rh factor.
This information will be very helpful when planning. future pregnancy or when life situation when a blood transfusion may be needed.
What is the Rh factor?
When studying blood samples through numerous experiments, it turned out that the mixing of blood different people does not always give a harmonious combination and often two samples can curl up or give a biological precipitate.
There is a special type of protein in the blood, which has a direct impact on the performance of the body as a whole, and 15% of the world's population does not have it. When mixing two samples with and without protein, an irreversible reaction occurred, these two types of blood should not be mixed. This is how the concept of the Rh factor appeared.
This discovery confirmed the importance of testing blood not only for group compatibility, but also the need to take into account the individual characteristics of the blood.
The Rh factor is a special type of protein located at the cellular level in the shell of red blood cells, which has the properties of an antigen.
The influence of different Rh factors in parents actually provokes the Rh conflict. The mother-to-be is bonded to the fetus for nine months, living life for two. The baby receives nourishment, oxygen and protection through the mother's blood. And if their Rh factors are in conflict, unforeseen circumstances are possible.
Consequences of Rhesus conflict during pregnancy
Rhesus conflict is the response of the mother's body at the immune level to the invasion of foreign agents. This is a kind of struggle of bodies from the mother's body with the antigens of the child's blood.
At the onset of the first pregnancy, the bloodstreams of the mother and fetus function separately without mixing, but in the process of childbirth, miscarriages or abortions, their blood has the opportunity to mix. As a result, antibodies to the baby's antigen are produced in the mother's blood before a new pregnancy occurs.
In the process of this struggle, the destruction of red blood cells or hemolysis occurs, which leads to the development of intrauterine anemia of the embryo. The mother feels absolutely normal, not even suspecting a threat to the health and life of the fetus.
If the parents have a conflict of Rh factors?
According to the laws of genetics, during conception and subsequent development, the child takes approximately equal parts of the DNA of both parents, respectively, the following development of situations is possible:
- Both future parents are Rh-positive or negative. Worry in this case nothing, pregnancy and childbirth will pass without complications.
- Mom is Rh negative and dad is Rh positive. In this case, during pregnancy, the development of anemia, jaundice, hypoxia and dropsy of the fetus is possible. Strict medical supervision of the entire period of pregnancy is necessary.
- If only the father has a negative Rh factor, the situation develops positively. Even if the expectant mother has Rh positive antigens, despite the possibility, if the baby has inherited Rh negative from the father, the body will not fight against the fetus. In fact, the mother's body does not see unfamiliar red blood cells and has nothing to fight with.
What to do if the situation is unfavorable?
When planning a pregnancy, future parents should contact specialists who will explain the importance of the Rh factors and tell you how to proceed. Don't worry, medicine has already gone so far that there are solutions.
At present, even for women with a negative Rh factor, supervision of the entire period of pregnancy by specialists will allow them to become a mother without any problems and give birth to a healthy baby. Doctors correct the work of the maternal immune system with the help of medications.
The procedure for couples with different Rh factors is:
- in visiting a therapist to get a referral for tests;
- in visiting a gynecologist and recommended specialists;
- in the delivery and receipt of test results necessary to establish the degree of health of the couple and determine the blood type and Rh factors;
- in carrying out the vaccination measures necessary for the mother and the unborn child.
So, since it so happened that the mother's Rh factor is positive, the father's is negative, this complicates the course of pregnancy, but does not put an end to your dream of having a baby. Get optimistic, enlist the help of specialists and you will definitely succeed. Take care of yourself. 😉
Rh factor is a certain property of red blood cells, and it is inherent in most people. If a person's blood has this property, then it is called Rh-positive. If this property is absent in red blood cells, it is called Rh-negative.
And if for human health the absence or presence of the Rh factor does not matter, then there are a number of situations, the role of these properties becomes extremely large.
For example, this is very important for a pregnant woman with Rh negative blood. her child's blood will be Rh-positive, then there is a high probability of developing a conflict, which poses a great danger to the newborn.
Studies show that the Rh factor is inherited, and, in accordance with the general laws of heredity, a child inherits one trait from mothers, and the second from father, therefore, the group properties of his blood, including the Rh factor, are composed, as it were, of two “halves”.
If a woman's blood is Rh-negative, and her husband's blood is Rh-positive, and these "halves" are in some sense different, then what will happen?
Studies show that the Rh positive factor is able to suppress the signs of the Rh negative factor, which makes it unrecognizable, the consequences of which can be quite important.
For example, a woman has blood Rh negative, and the man Rh positive, but she has a masked Rh-negative trait. The child, inheriting in equal measure, inherits from the father a clear positive and hidden negative factors, but, in combination with maternal negative, the child will have Rh-negative blood.
According to the same laws of heredity, an amazing case is also possible when parents with Rh-positive blood have a child whose blood is Rh-negative.
This is explained by the presence of a latent Rh-negative trait in the mother and father. If they give the child obvious Rh-positive properties, then the baby will have the same Rh-positive blood. However, if both of them reward the child with their masked Rh-negative factors, which in combination become obvious, then a paradox will be observed in which both parents have Rh-positive blood, and the child is Rh-negative.
If both spouses have Rh-negative blood, then the child will have the same blood.. This is a good option, in which the Rhesus conflict will not occur. This coincidence is happy, but rare, since Rh-negative blood is not so common - about 15% among Europeans and no more than 5% among Asians.
But even if a man has Rh positive blood, the child is not necessarily in danger, and practice shows that most children are born healthy. Talking about the danger, doctors talk about the risk, or the likelihood of an Rhesus conflict.
During pregnancy, the mother and are combined into a single biological system, but between them there is also a border outpost in the form of a placenta, which protects the fetus from harmful factors. These factors may come from the mother's body, but at the same time, the mother is also protected from dangerous influences from the fetus. It is the placental barrier that makes it possible to successfully resolve most of the Rh-incompatible pregnancies.
But sometimes this barrier turns out to be faulty, in which case they penetrate through the placenta into the mother's body fetal erythrocytes. If the blood of the child and the mother is incompatible with the Rh factor, then the erythrocytes of the fetus are foreign to the mother, and the body's immune system includes protective reactions against everything foreign. Rh antibodies arise and begin to eliminate incompatible red blood cells, and this does not only occur in the mother's bloodstream. Penetrating into the blood of the fetus, they carry out their destructive work there. The result may be intrauterine damage to the fetus, and
Reading 9 min. Views 29.5k.
Different Rh factors in parents increase the risk of developing various pathologies from the hematopoietic system and other internal organs in the fetus. Rhesus - the factor of parents during pregnancy is recommended to be determined in advance - this will minimize the negative impact of antibodies present on the surface of "female" erythrocytes on the developing fetus. Rh - conflict during pregnancy is treatable.
Probability tables
Geneticists argue that when analyzing the probable hereditary characteristics of a child's blood, the blood type during pregnancy of people of both sexes (husband and wife) is evaluated according to the same criteria. (50%/50%). Experts have compiled several tables that allow you to pre-assess the degree of risk.
Probability tables share:
- by Rp (+) or (-) ;
- 1 out of 4 groups.
The material, taken simultaneously from mom and dad, reveals the presence of special marker proteins in it. They are found on the surface of red blood cells. The immunological property of blood does not affect health in any way; husband and wife often have different Rhesus. A conflict is formed at conception if people have different Rp ((+) erythrocytes fuse with (-)). Rh - conflict during pregnancy (table) allows doctors to minimize the risk of developing pathology in the fetus.
According to the Rh factor
The concepts of "Rh factor and pregnancy" are closely interconnected with each other. A conflict is possible if the mother is Rh positive and the father is Rh negative. Such people have children with different factors. If the factor for a woman and a man is negative, then with 100% probability the child will be born with Rp (-). Cases when the parents have a positive, the child has a negative Rh, have not been registered.
How often do you take a blood test?
Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
Only by appointment of the attending physician 31%, 1671 voice
Once a year and I think it's enough 17%, 928 votes
At least twice a year 15%, 811 votes
More than twice a year but less than six times 11%, 609 votes
I monitor my health and take it once a month 6%, 328 votes
I'm afraid of this procedure and try not to pass 4%, 233 vote
21.10.2019
Rhesus - conflict (table):
The likelihood of a Rh conflict increases with the fusion of marker proteins found in erythrocytes. The parent Rp (factor) can be different, and the child's factor can be different.
By blood type
The blood type during pregnancy determines the likelihood of incompatibility. Letter designation of groups:
- I - 0;
- II - A;
- III - B;
- IV - AB.
Compatibility table by blood type:
| father's blood | mother's blood | baby's blood | Conflict Prediction |
| excluded | |||
| A | 0 or A | excluded | |
| IN | 0 or B | excluded | |
| AB | A or B | excluded | |
| A | 0 or A | 50% | |
| A | A | A or 0 | excluded |
| A | IN | any group | 25% |
| A | AB | A, 0 or AB | excluded |
| IN | 0 or B | 50% | |
| IN | A | any group | 50% |
| IN | IN | B or 0 | excluded |
| IN | AB | AB, B or 0 | excluded |
| AB | A or B | 100% | |
| AB | A | A, AB or 0 | 66% |
| AB | IN | AB, B or 0 | 66% |
| AB | AB | AB, B or A | excluded |
The fusion of red blood cells occurs as the fetus develops.
Causes of the conflict
A woman with a negative Rh, and a man with a positive one, are able to conceive for conception. If the mother's Rh factor is positive, and the father's is negative, then the risk of developing a conflict is 50%. The parental blood type during pregnancy affects the degree and rate of formation possible pathologies. During the first pregnancy, if a blood transfusion was not performed, the chances of avoiding a conflict increase dramatically. This means that with a negative Rh mother, a child can be born with Rp (+).
It happens that the female body is not able to produce enough antibodies. The main reasons for the development of incompatibility are the fertilization of the egg after abortion or miscarriage. In this case, the risk of conflict development increases several times. In a woman, the factor during pregnancy and until the end of her life does not change, only in the blood the amount of antibodies produced by the body can increase.
A conflict can develop in a woman whose first pregnancy ended in a caesarean section. If, during childbirth, doctors manually separated the placenta, the patient has a history of uterine bleeding, then the risk of Rp incompatibility is 50-60%. Women with a negative Rp factor should be especially attentive to their own health - mothers who have undergone the following pathologies while pregnant are at risk:
- acute respiratory viral infections;
- preeclampsia;
- cold.
Antibodies produced by the body do not disappear anywhere. Their number increases with each subsequent pregnancy. In violation of the structural structure of the chorionic villi, the mother's immunity begins to produce antibodies in an accelerated mode.
At what time does it start
When pregnancy begins, the Rh factor of a woman does not change. In the first pregnancy, conflict may not arise. As the fetus develops and develops, antibodies produced by the mother's body enter the baby's bloodstream. The first 2-3 weeks, during the gestation period, the blood of mother and child is mixed. Antibodies are not dangerous for the female body, but they can harm the child's body.
When does a pregnant woman usually first think about such a concept as "Rhesus conflict"? Usually when she finds out she has Rh negative blood. And questions arise: what is it and is it possible to avoid Rh-conflict during pregnancy?
These questions are answered by Maria Kudelina, a doctor, Rh-negative mother of three children.
What is Rh conflict during pregnancy?
Rhesus conflict is possible during pregnancy. This is a conflict between the mother's immune system and the child's blood, when the mother's immune system begins to destroy the elements of the child's blood (erythrocytes). This happens because there is something on the baby's red blood cells that is not on the mother's red blood cells, namely the Rh factor. And then the mother's immune system perceives the child's red blood cells as something alien, like bacteria and viruses, and begins to destroy them. This can happen when the mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive.
According to statistics, approximately 15% of people are Rh-negative, and 85% are Rh-positive. Rh conflict is possible during pregnancy when the mother is Rh-negative and the child is Rh-positive. If Both parents are Rh negative, then the child will also be Rh negative and the conflict is excluded. If the father is Rh-positive, with an Rh-negative mother, the child can be both Rh-negative and Rh-positive.
When does Rh conflict occur during pregnancy?
Suppose the mother is Rh negative and the child is Rh positive. Is it necessary to have an Rhesus conflict during pregnancy? No. For a conflict to occur, it is necessary that Rh-positive blood entered the blood of an Rh-negative mother. Normally, this does not happen during pregnancy, the placenta does not let blood cells through.
In what situations is this possible?
Rh-incompatible blood of a child can get into the Rh-negative blood of the mother in the following cases:
- during a miscarriage,
- medical abortion,
- ectopic pregnancy,
- if a woman has bleeding during pregnancy.
Conflict is also possible if mothers have ever had an Rh transfusion before. positive blood. It is also possible for the baby's blood to reach the mother during normal births.
Thus, during first successful pregnancy, the risk of Rh conflict is very small. A tangible risk occurs with repeated pregnancies.
Rh immunoglobulin - how it works
Modern medicine has the ability prevent rhesus conflict when Rh positive blood enters the mother's blood. Most often, Rh conflict can be prevented by introducing an Rh-negative mother anti-rhesus immunoglobulin(Rho D immunoglobulin) within 72 hours of exposure to Rh-positive blood before the mother's own antibodies have developed.
This usually happens after childbirth if anti-Rhesus antibodies were not detected in the mother's blood during pregnancy. You can not give an injection if, according to the result of a blood test of a child, it turns out that he also has a negative Rh.
With the introduction of synthetic immunoglobulin, the erythrocytes of the Rh-positive fetus that enter the mother's body are destroyed before her own immune system has time to respond to them. Mom own antibodies to the child's erythrocytes are not formed. Synthetic antibodies in the mother's blood are usually destroyed within 4-6 weeks after injection. And by the next pregnancy, the mother's blood is free of antibodies and is not dangerous for the baby. While own maternal antibodies, if formed, remain for life and can lead to problems in subsequent pregnancies.
Prevention of Rh conflict is carried out by the attending physician, taking into account the individual characteristics of each case.
What to do for Rh-negative women during pregnancy
During pregnancy in an Rh negative woman blood tests every month for the presence of anti-Rhesus antibodies in her blood. If anti-Rhesus antibodies appear in the blood of a pregnant woman, this indicates that the blood of a Rh-positive child has entered the mother's blood and a Rh conflict is possible. In these cases, the doctor's observation of the course of pregnancy and the condition of the child becomes more thorough, you need to regularly do blood tests to measure the level of antibodies (antibody titer in Rh conflict). If anti-rhesus antibodies are not detected during pregnancy, this means that everything is fine, there is no Rh conflict and nothing more needs to be done before the birth.
What to do after childbirth
Ideally, after childbirth, the child will be taken as soon as possible blood analysis and determine the blood type and Rh factor. In Russian maternity hospitals, blood is most often taken from a child from a vein. If the baby turns out to be Rh negative, the mother can be very happy and she does not need to inject anything in this case.
If the child is Rh positive, and the mother did not have anti-Rhesus antibodies during pregnancy - to prevent a possible Rh conflict during the next pregnancy, an intramuscular injection is made with anti-rhesus immunoglobulin within the next three days until my mother's immune system has had time to start producing its own antibodies. This drug can be bought as prescribed by a doctor in a pharmacy after childbirth, if it is not in the hospital. Ask relatives to help you and control this important issue for you, if necessary. remembering your Rh factor your doctor in the maternity hospital.
If the antibodies in the mother's blood have managed to develop, then thanks to immune memory they will stay for life. What does it threaten? In subsequent pregnancy increases the likelihood of Rhesus conflict- hemolytic disorder, which can lead to various consequences: from neonatal jaundice and the need for blood transfusions to miscarriages, premature births and stillbirths. Fortunately, there are modern methods of treatment. But still Rhesus conflict is easier to prevent than to treat.
Rhesus conflict and breastfeeding
In cases where there is definitely no Rh conflict (mother and child with the same Rh-negative blood or the child is Rh positive, but no signs of Rh conflict were detected during pregnancy), breastfeeding is no different.
Jaundice after childbirth is not a mandatory sign of conflict, so you should not focus on it. Physiological jaundice appears in a newborn not because of a Rh conflict or breastfeeding, but as a result of replacing fetal hemoglobin with a normal human one. Fetal hemoglobin is destroyed and gives yellowness to the skin. This is a normal physiological situation, usually not requiring intervention.
If the Rhesus conflict nevertheless arose, then modern medicine has enough ways to help the child. Even diagnosis of hemolytic disease is not a contraindication To breastfeeding. These children need more frequent and prolonged breastfeeding.
Prohibition of breastfeeding in case of hemolytic disease, as a rule, is associated with the fear that the antibodies contained in milk will exacerbate the situation. However, under the influence of the aggressive environment of the stomach, the antibodies that got into the milk are destroyed almost immediately. Based on the condition of the child, the doctor determines the possibility and method of breastfeeding: whether it will be sucking from the breast or feeding with expressed milk. And only if the child's condition is severe, he can receive nutrition in the form of solutions injected into the vein.
There may or may not be a conflict.
For women with Rh-negative blood, it is especially important that the first pregnancy proceeds safely and ends with a successful birth. Should be done after childbirth a child's blood test for group and rhesus. And if the child is with Rh-positive blood, and antibodies were not found in the mother, anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin is administered to her over the next three days. With the second and subsequent pregnancies, it is also necessary to control the absence of antibodies in the mother's blood.
Be careful and everything will be fine!
Another point that women with a negative Rh factor must strictly follow. The first pregnancy proceeds in the most favorable way, even if the fetus has "positive" blood, so make every effort not to interrupt it. Abortions in women with a negative Rh factor are fraught with serious complications and further infertility, so choose from the existing arsenal of contraceptives that is right for you so that the child is desired. Be healthy!
If you are Rh negative and your husband (child's father) is Rh positive, we recommend that you read this article carefully.
Rh factor
Most people have proteins on the surface of their red blood cells called the Rh factor (or Rh antigen). These people are Rh positive. But 15% of men and women do not have these proteins on their red blood cells - that is, they have a negative Rh.
The Rh factor is inherited as a stronger sign and never changes throughout life. Rh-affiliation is determined simultaneously with the blood group, although they are completely independent. The Rh-affiliation of the blood cannot speak of any health, immune or metabolic disorders. It's just a genetic trait, an individual trait, like eye or skin color.
So, the Rh factor is an immunological property of the blood, which depends on the presence of special kind squirrel.
Rhesus conflict
At the 7-8th week of pregnancy, the formation of hematopoiesis in the embryo begins. A few red blood cells of a Rh-positive baby, overcoming the placental barrier, enter the circulatory system Rh negative mother. And then the mother's body understands that it is being attacked by a foreign protein, and reacts to this by producing antibodies that seek to destroy it. In the "heat of battle" from mother's blood through the placenta, "defenders" penetrate into the body of the unborn baby and there they continue to fight with his blood, destroying and sticking together red blood cells. If there are a lot of such uninvited fighters, without timely help, the fetus may die. This is the Rh conflict, otherwise this phenomenon is called Rh sensitization.
Note that in 70% of cases, the Rh-negative mother practically does not react in any way to the presence of the Rh factor in the fetus. And in 30% of pregnant women, the body, having perceived the fetus as something alien, begins to produce protective antibodies against the red blood cells of its own child.
In most cases, at the first meeting with the Rh antigen, for example, during the first pregnancy (regardless of its outcome), antibodies are not produced so much. But after the first birth (or miscarriage), as well as at any meeting with Rh-positive blood (for example, during a transfusion of incompatible blood), “memory cells” remain in the woman’s body, which during subsequent pregnancies (again, when a Rh-negative mother the child is Rh-positive) organize a rapid and powerful production of antibodies against the Rh factor of the fetus. Moreover, the reaction of the female immune system to the Rh antigen of the unborn child during the second and third pregnancies will be much faster than during the first. Accordingly, the risk is higher.
The first pregnancy of a woman with a negative Rh factor
If a woman with a negative Rh factor has not previously met with Rh-positive blood, then she does not have antibodies, and therefore the risk of a Rh conflict with the fetus. During the first pregnancy, antibodies are not produced so much. If the number of fetal erythrocytes that entered the mother's blood was significant, "memory cells" remain in the woman's body, which during subsequent pregnancies organize the rapid production of antibodies against the Rh factor.
According to the medical literature, after the first pregnancy, immunization occurs in 10% of women. If a woman with Rh-negative blood avoided Rh immunization after her first pregnancy, then the next pregnancy with an Rh-positive fetus has a 10% chance of being immunized again.
Monitoring a woman with a negative Rh factor during pregnancy
Often such a pregnancy is no more difficult than in women with a positive Rh. Just do not forget about the most careful and regular monitoring of your health. An expectant mother with a negative Rh factor will have to donate blood from a vein quite often for the presence of antibodies. Up to thirty-two weeks of pregnancy, this analysis is carried out once a month, from 32 to 35 weeks - twice a month, and then until childbirth weekly.
According to the level of antibodies in the blood of a pregnant woman, the doctor can draw conclusions about the alleged Rh factor in the child and determine the beginning of the Rh conflict.
Rh conflict prevention
At the risk of a Rh conflict, a woman is repeatedly examined for the presence of Rh antibodies during pregnancy. If they are not there, then the woman is not sensitized and there will be no Rh conflict in this pregnancy. Immediately after birth, the Rh factor in the baby is determined. If Rh is positive, then no later than 72 hours after birth, the mother is injected with anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin, which will prevent the development of the Rh conflict in a subsequent pregnancy.
Anti-Rh immunoglobulin breaks the immunological chain and prevents the production of anti-Rh antibodies. Also, this drug binds aggressive antibodies formed in the mother's blood and removes them from the body. Timely administration of anti-Rh globulin with a high degree of probability prevents the development of Rhesus conflict during subsequent pregnancy.
You will do the right thing if you find out in advance at the hospital where you plan to give birth, if they have anti-D-immunoglobulin (of course, if you have a negative Rh factor), if they do not, buy in advance and take it with you!
Recently, the same vaccine has been administered for prophylaxis during pregnancy (between the 28th and 32nd weeks), provided that the pregnancy proceeds safely and antibodies are not detected in the blood of the expectant mother. After the administration of the drug, the blood for antibodies is no longer examined.
The same immunoglobulin prophylaxis for women with a negative Rh factor should be carried out within 72 hours after:
- ectopic pregnancy;
- abortion;
- placental abruption;
– amniocetosis (an examination performed by inserting a long thin needle through the abdominal wall into the uterus);
– spontaneous miscarriage;
- blood transfusions.
If the woman does have Rh antibodies and the fetus is Rh positive
If a woman has Rh antibodies in her blood and their titer increases, then this indicates the presence of a Rh conflict.
The mother's antibodies cross the placenta and "pounce" on the baby's red blood cells. At the same time, a large amount of a substance called bilirubin appears in his blood. Bilirubin turns a baby's skin yellow ("jaundice") and can damage the baby's brain. As the fetus's red blood cells are continually being destroyed, the liver and spleen try to speed up the production of new red blood cells while growing in size. In the end, they can not cope with the replenishment of red blood cells. Severe oxygen starvation (anemia) sets in - the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood becomes dangerously low, which can lead to a number of serious disorders in the fetus. This condition is called hemolytic disease.
In the event of a Rh conflict, treatment is necessary in a specialized perinatal center, where both the woman and the child will be under constant supervision.
If it is possible to bring the pregnancy to 38 weeks, a planned caesarean section is performed. If not, they resort to intrauterine blood transfusion: they penetrate the umbilical cord vein through the anterior abdominal wall of the mother and transfuse 20-50 ml of erythrocyte mass to the fetus. The procedure is carried out under ultrasound guidance.
In emergency cases, within 36 hours after the birth of the baby, an exchange blood transfusion is performed, he is injected with Rh-negative blood of the same group as his mother, and resuscitation is carried out. The mother of such a child is not allowed to breastfeed him in the first days. This is due to the fact that with the mother's milk, the newborn gets anti-Rhesus antibodies that she formed during pregnancy. And these antibodies tend to destroy the baby's red blood cells.
Summarize
As soon as you decide to have a baby, take a blood test to determine the Rh factor. And this should be done not only by you, but also by your partner. If the future father has a positive Rh factor, and the mother has a negative one, then the probable Rh factor of the fetus is determined as 50% to 50%. In this case, a couple planning to become parents should consult a doctor: he will tell the expectant mother what preventive measures can prevent the development of the Rhesus conflict. Do not neglect the advice of your gynecologist, listen to him and follow all the instructions that he appoints. If the doctor, looking at the results of the tests, said: "Rhesus negative", do not be discouraged! If you are a vigilant and responsible mother, everything will be fine with your child.
Despite the prevailing stereotype that all people are initially equal, yet nature itself endowed all of us with distinctive individual features. Therefore, we differ from each other in color type, complexion, temperament ... But, if the hair color and even the figure can be changed at will, then there is a classification according to which you will not be able to change the “environment” under any circumstances and go to another category. We are talking about four blood groups and only two variants of the Rh factor. These innate parameters cannot be changed during life at one's own discretion and they are given once and for all. Moreover, throughout life they have a direct impact not only on you, but also on your children and grandchildren. Therefore, they should be taken with all seriousness. Especially to the Rh factor, because its importance is almost equal to the importance of all other blood characteristics in the aggregate. And they, in turn, are a direct reflection of the genetic code of each person, that is, in fact, his life, health, appearance, longevity, etc. Thus, it becomes clear that the Rh factor strongly affects the offspring, as one of the most important stages and tasks of the body. But how exactly?
There are other systems for assessing and analyzing blood systems, and their number is constantly increasing. But they are of interest mainly to specialists (researchers-biochemists, physicians, geneticists), and most people have never heard of them, and do not need this information. But everyone knows about the Rh factor, both men and women. The former can open their passport at any time and see a seal indicating the blood type and Rh factor, made in the military registration and enlistment office with the start of military age. The latter will definitely encounter or have already encountered this concept as soon as they think about pregnancy and the birth of a child. The modern education system introduces schoolchildren to the concepts of blood group and Rh factor as early as basic course human anatomy. But, to be honest, school knowledge is often perceived by us as something imposed and often perceived inattentively, forgotten soon after passing the test and receiving an assessment on the relevant topic. And only with age and entry into adulthood, the value of this or that information is revealed to us in a new light. Fortunately, today there are no problems with access to any information, and as for such important knowledge about your own body as the blood type and its Rh factor, then every doctor will be happy to tell you about them. We offer to refresh your knowledge right now, without looking up from your computer screen.
What is the Rh factor. How to determine your Rh factor
The Rh factor (abbreviated to simply Rhesus or Rh) is one of the 29 blood group systems used worldwide today. For example, the AB0 system (or the first, second, third and fourth blood types) is the most common characteristic for assessing human blood, and the Rh factor is considered to be the second most important system in terms of clinical importance. Unlike blood groups, of which there are four, the Rh factor is characterized by only two options. It is either positive (Rh+) or negative (Rh-) - which is determined, respectively, by the presence or absence of a special antigen protein (or, in scientific terms, lipoprotein) on the surface of blood erythrocytes. In fact, there are more than 40 such antigens, and each of them is designated by its own code, consisting of numbers, letters and / or other symbols. But in determining the Rh factor, antigens of the so-called type D and, to a lesser extent, types C, E and e, play a key role. Their presence or vice versa absence determines the Rh status of a person. It is known that the vast majority of the population of our planet, more precisely 85% of Europeans and literally 99% of Asians, have a positive Rh factor, that is, there is a named protein on the surface of their red blood cells. And 15% of people, and half of them, that is, as many as 7%, are natives of Africa, do not have Rh, that is, their Rh factor is negative. But even "Rh positive" people can have different Rh status.
The fact is that, as with a combination of chromosomes that affects the formation of the sex of the unborn child, we also get the Rh factor from our parents. And each of them, in turn, also has data received from his parents. Thus, if Rh was dominant in the blood of both parents, then the child will also receive Rh +, that is, a positive Rh factor. The Rh factor Rr, that is, inherited from one parent with dominant and one with recessive Rh, will also be dominant, but will behave differently when combined with other genomes in the future. And only if both parents have a negative Rh factor, then the child can also be only Rh-negative: rr. Although the Rh factor of both grandparents will also definitely affect. Too difficult? Let's look at an example. Suppose that the father of the unborn child has a positive Rh, and the mother is negative. But there is also a grandmother with a negative Rh. That is, we have the following initial data: father Rr and mother rr. A child in this case can be born with an Rh factor of both Rr and rr with a probability of 50/50. If both parents are Rh positive, but both grandparents are Rh negative, then the children will receive the same number of both dominant R and recessive r genes. And they can get the Rh factor of any of the options: RR (Rh +), Rr (Rh +), rr (Rh-). But note that the probability of a positive Rh factor will still be three times higher than the probability of a negative one: 75% versus 25% probability. In the office of the gynecologist-obstetrician, you can see a visual table, where at the intersection of different indicators of the Rh factors of the parents, the variants of the Rh factors of the unborn child are indicated. The same visual information is easy to find on the Internet in order to find out in an accessible form the chances of your heir to have a positive or negative Rh status.
But at the same time, these tables, and even a blood test for the Rh factor, will make it possible to find out only one fact: a positive or negative Rh factor in the owner of the blood. More accurate data, that is, the presence of dominant and recessive traits in generations, can only be found out as a result of more tests carried out exclusively in specialized clinics and / or genetics institutes. You can, of course, try to use the logic "from the opposite" and calculate the type of Rh status from children, but it is unlikely that anyone will do such painstaking calculations. It is enough to know that the owners of a negative Rh status under no circumstances can carry a positive Rh in their genome and, accordingly, pass it on to their descendants. A positive Rh always tends to dominate and as a result gives a positive Rh status. And in general, genetics knows only three circumstances for the inheritance of Rh status:
- Both Rh negative parents can only give birth to a child with the same Rh negative as theirs.
- One Rh-positive parent and one Rh-negative parent have a chance of both Rh-positive and Rh-negative offspring, with a Rh-positive child having a six-in-eight chance of being born, while a non-Rh child antigen - only in two cases out of eight.
- Two Rh-positive parents with a probability of 9 out of 16 will give birth to Rh-positive children with completely dominant Rh children, with a probability of 6 out of 16 - Rh-positive children with the makings of recessive and dominant traits, and only in one case out of 16 their child will have a negative Rh -status.
In total, there are only 9 possible ways of inheriting the Rh factor, and you and your children, as well as parents, belong to one of them. You can find your option in the list right now:
100% of children will have a Rh-positive blood factor - Rh + (DD)
- Mother is Rh-negative - Rh-(dd)
Father has Rh positive factor factor - Rh+(DD)
50% of their children will be Rh positive - Rh + (DD),
50% of their children will be Rh positive - Rh+(Dd).
The father has a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (Dd)
25% of their children will have a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (DD),
25% of their children will be Rh-(dd) negative.
The father has a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (Dd)
- The mother has a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (DD)
100% of their children will be Rh positive - Rh+(Dd).
- The mother has a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (Dd)
50% of their children will have a Rh-positive factor - Rh + (Dd),
50% of their children will be Rh negative - Rh-(dd).
- Mother is Rh-negative - Rh-(dd)
Father is Rh-negative - Rh-(dd)
100% of their children are Rh-(dd) negative.
If you carefully consider the table, you can pay attention to an additional factor in the form of designations DD, Dd and dd. This is an abbreviation for the most significant gene, which can be either dominant (D) or recessive (d). The genotype of an Rh positive person can be either homozygous DD or heterozygous Dd. The genotype of a person with a negative Rh factor can only correspond to the homozygous dd.
Why go into all this complexity? Why do you need to know and take into account the Rh factor, your own and your relatives? When and why might this information be useful? First, the combination of dominant and recessive traits and the resulting heterozygosity of the organism is stored in the genes and can influence the formation of many subsequent generations. Secondly, genetic features, including the Rh factor, do not exist on their own, but are inextricably linked with the physiological and anatomical features of the fetus, child, and then an adult. The color of the hair and eyes of the unborn baby, the shape of the teeth and the tendency to early baldness, the presence of musical abilities and the likelihood of ambidexterity, genetics has already learned to determine long before the birth of a little man. But if these signs are more likely to be in the sphere of curiosity of parents, then the importance of early detection of genetic and / or inherited diseases and other abnormalities cannot be overestimated. Dominant and recessive traits, including the Rh factor, are determined even during fetal development. And it is necessary to know the Rh statuses of a couple who planned to become parents because of the existence of such a phenomenon as a Rh conflict. Its probability is determined even before the planned pregnancy begins in order to avoid major problems during gestation.
What is Rhesus conflict. What to do with Rhesus conflict
Rh conflict is an incompatibility between the blood of the mother and the child according to the Rh factor. You ask how this is possible, because a child is the fetus of the mother's body and the result of crossing her genes with the father's genes?! This is precisely why the discrepancy occurs: when a child's positive Rh factor, inherited from the father, "meets" the mother's negative Rh factor. A situation that is paradoxical at first glance and completely logical in a judicious analysis is emerging. Just remember, as it was indicated at the beginning of the article, that a positive Rh factor is nothing more than the presence of a certain protein in the blood. The body of a pregnant woman with a negative Rh factor "does not know" about the existence of such a protein, it does not have it itself and has never encountered it. Therefore, when the Rh-positive blood of the fetus enters the mother's body, the mother perceives this protein as something alien and potentially dangerous to herself. And if so, it begins to produce antibodies against fetal erythrocytes, which carry the antigen protein responsible for the Rh factor. Of course, maternal and fetal blood do not mix directly. But their organisms inevitably exchange metabolic products, some cells and substances through the permeable walls of the placenta. In the same way, antibodies against a protein in the blood of a child with a positive Rh factor are sent to him from the mother. This protective mechanism, biologically verified and deeply “programmed” in a person, cannot be stopped, and the longer the conflict of Rh factors lasts, that is, in fact, organisms, mother and fetus, the greater the number of antibodies hostile to the fetus. This carries a direct danger to the health of the baby, so doctors always find out in advance which Rh factor each of the future parents has.
The erythrocytes of the fetus, attacked by the antibodies of the mother's body, die and turn into decay products, toxic and poisoning the blood, cells, organ systems, and most importantly, the brain of the embryo. One of the most concentrated substances - bilirubin - gives the baby's skin a yellowish color. Hence the term neonatal jaundice, which is actually a hemolytic disease (that is, a disease of destruction) of newborns. This must be understood in such a way that, of course, not babies are destroyed, but their blood cells. However, the harm from this is still considerable. In addition to the brain, the liver and spleen of the baby suffer, then other internal organs and their systems. Fortunately, modern medicine has reached a sufficient level of development to counter these dangers. At the first suspicion of the possibility of a Rh conflict, a pregnant woman becomes under the close supervision of specialists, and if Rh antibodies are detected, special measures are taken to smooth out the incompatibility of the blood of the mother and fetus. Subject to timely diagnosis and disciplined implementation of the doctor's instructions, a successful resolution of the Rh conflict is more than likely. To do this, in women with a negative Rh factor, the presence of antibodies in the blood is checked starting from the 8th week of pregnancy: it is at this time that the fetus shows its Rh factor. If necessary, a drug containing anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin is introduced into the body. In other words, the Rh factor, although it is inherited in a recessive-dominant type and cannot be changed, but with the right approach and sufficient awareness, this does not threaten health at all - neither yours nor your loved ones. So know your body, love yourself and be healthy!
It is no secret that bearing a child is a difficult process and is fraught with many dangers and nuances, for example, a negative Rh factor in a woman during pregnancy. If you believe the statistics, many lives were taken away by the lack of knowledge of what blood type and Rh factor a person has. This is one of the most common miscarriage factors. Every expectant mother should have an idea about the Rh factor, the Rh conflict, as well as other nuances of this pathological process.
The concept of the Rh factor and the Rh conflict
Blood is one of those human systems that is constantly under the scrutiny of scientists. From time to time new systems are found in it. The most important and widespread blood system is the ABO system. In it, experts identified a specific antigen D, which is responsible for the Rh factor.
According to the localization of the D antigen, it is possible to safely establish the Rh factor of the circulatory system. If D is found on the outside of the red blood cells, then the Rh factor is positive. If a person does not have this antigen, then it is negative.
Due to the presence of this antigen, the Rhesus of the subject is determined. In the presence of modern equipment, this diagnosis does not take much time and is not very expensive.
The chance that a child will be Rh positive if the mother is Rh negative and the father is Rh positive is 65%.
It is a positive Rh in the fetus and the absence of one in the mother that can provoke an Rh conflict, since the body of a woman and the fetus constantly exchange various substances and substances through the blood system.
Everything happens as follows. The blood of the fetus enters the mother's body during blood exchange. The woman's immune system detects antigen D in the incoming blood, defines it as foreign and produces antibodies that harm the child by destroying its circulatory system.
It is important for every person, especially a woman, to know their Rh factor and blood type. This data is most often required during emergencies and can save a person's life.
The effect of Rh negative on pregnancy
But Rh conflict does not only occur with an Rh-positive father.
There are several reasons that cause Rhesus conflict:- the fact of the second conception with the presence of such a reason, the factor is negative in a pregnant woman;
- the penetration of the baby's blood into the woman's body during the first pregnancy;
- transfusiology of blood into the mother's circulatory system before pregnancy, if the Rh factor was not taken into account;
- various pathological processes during the period of bearing a child: exfoliation of placental tissues, internal hemorrhages;
- the presence of diabetes mellitus in women with pregnancy.
Naturally, you need to know your RH to always be ready for any force majeure, but nevertheless, the percentage of good births in Rh-negative women is very high, especially in the absence of the D antigen and the father of the child.
Blood during pregnancy at a later date should be taken frequently in order to detect the pathology in time and proceed to eliminate it.
During the first pregnancy, the chance of pathology due to the Rh factor is extremely small, because the mother's immune system has not yet formed a system of antibodies to the D antigen in the fetus, and with minimal therapy, the birth will go smoothly.
There may be a risk of a lack of blood in the child, but a conventional transfusion can solve this problem. In this case, the woman should be under the strict guidance of a gynecologist in order to avoid problems with the fetus.
At a certain point in pregnancy, there is a period that is characterized by a peak in the production of specific antibodies to the fetal antigen. At this point, you can make one injection, which is called immunoglobulin. It belongs to the gamma globulin fraction and its function is to prevent the development of maternal antibodies to the fetus in the future. This is very useful if parents are planning a second pregnancy.
If you do not administer this drug to a woman, then with the advent of a second pregnancy, the likelihood of a Rh conflict increases significantly and carries consequences much more terrible than a mild form of anemia in a newborn. We are talking about a very terrible pathology - hemolytic disease. All red blood cells are susceptible to destruction, the level of bilirubin rises and jaundice can be observed. The fetal brain is also damaged. The chance of giving birth to a healthy child, even with the necessary assistance, is very small.
It is worth appreciating the importance of the immunoglobulin vaccine after the first pregnancy, because there are often cases of artificial termination of pregnancy, because in some cases, bearing a fetus is not humane in relation to parents or a baby. If an abortion was performed on a woman who has a negative Rh factor, then a new pregnancy should not be discussed, because the consequences can be fatal.
Medicine does not stand still, and immunoglobulin very well solves the problem with the developed antibodies of the mother to the fetus. Therefore, you need to make your plans for pregnancy in advance and in consultation with your doctor.
Features of the management of pregnant women with negative Rh
Pregnant women who are suspected of having a Rhesus conflict with the fetus need to go to bed as soon as possible in order to constantly be under the round-the-clock supervision of doctors who, in which case, will be able to provide the necessary emergency assistance.
But there is also the possibility that the pregnancy will be completely normal. The reason for this may be a reduced level of immunity in the mother, who will not be able to develop the required amount of antibodies in response to fetal antigens in a short time. But this has its drawbacks, because with a weak immune system, the risk of infectious and viral diseases is high, which can adversely affect pregnancy.
Antibodies should be monitored at least once a week. This will help to diagnose the Rh conflict in a timely manner and take urgent action to save the mother and baby.
It is worth noting that the negative Rh factor during pregnancy depends on the blood type. That is, it can be argued that blood type and pregnancy are directly proportional to each other. A negative blood type during pregnancy is the main cause of the problem. So, 1 negative blood group and 3 negative blood group cause Rh-conflict more often than group 2. The third group, although it does not occur often enough, but the chance of a Rh conflict, if present, is very high. With the 4th blood group, the Rh conflict does not occur, since there is no reason in the form of agglutinins. The fourth blood type of the mother is the most favorable, and it is with the fourth group that you can not be afraid to get pregnant.
Rhesus conflict has a negative impact on the fetus, the consequences of which he can remain for life.
These include:- diseases of the blood and cardiovascular system;
- diseases of the liver and gallbladder in the form of hepatitis and jaundice;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- increased risk of diseases that have a hereditary predisposition.
But do not despair. Modern medicine has found more than one method of dealing with the Rh conflict, pregnancy with a negative Rh factor is possible and the consequences are not terrible if you follow some important rules.
Prevention and treatment of negative Rh factor
Until a few decades ago, women with a negative Rh factor were recommended to give birth to only one child, and doctors were categorically opposed to terminating the pregnancy with the first baby.
Today, the situation is completely different, which cannot but rejoice. With the help of preventive methods with a negative blood group in a woman during pregnancy, she has the opportunity to freely plan for the birth of the following children.
If a woman has antibodies to the fetal D antigen, then several important rules must be followed when managing pregnancy:- It is necessary to eliminate the production of specific antibodies by the woman's body or reduce their number.
- It is necessary to abandon certain procedures that increase the risk of fetal blood entering the mother's circulatory system.
- Use immunoglobulin injections if needed.
- appointment of a blood test for the presence of antibodies in the first trimester of pregnancy;
- with a high titer, you need to repeat the tests every week;
- constant monitoring of the fetus through tests and ultrasound examination;
- if it is impossible to carry out a blood transfusion to the fetus, then it becomes necessary to induce labor, since any delays are dangerous for the life of the baby;
- a woman should be vaccinated only after cases such as abortion or conception outside the uterus.
It is important to remember that during the first birth, the child is most often not in danger if the woman has not received transfusions of Rh-positive blood. The second birth is much more dangerous in terms of the occurrence of pathologies, but this can be avoided if the woman is given immunoglobulins in time.
Do not panic, because modern medicine has gone far ahead and the problem with a negative Rh factor during pregnancy is easily solved. The main thing is that you need more time to be under the supervision of doctors and monitor your health and the health of your baby.
Everyone is aware that the Rhesus conflict is bad, but few people know how it manifests itself and what it threatens. Unfortunately, the concept of this problem appears only when we are faced with its negative consequences, although they could have been avoided. That is why it is necessary to understand this issue.
What is the Rh factor?The Rh factor is a system of human antigens that is located on the surface of the red blood cell. If the Rh factor is present in the blood, then “Rh positive” is determined, if it is not, then “Rh negative”.
Many women find out about their blood type and the Rh factor already when they are pregnant, when they register at the antenatal clinic. Remember that the blood type and Rh factor do not change throughout life, and you need to know them as early as possible, for this it is enough to donate blood from a vein once.
What is Rhesus conflict?
If during pregnancy Rh-positive erythrocytes of the fetus enter the body of a woman with Rh-negative blood (we will talk about the reasons later), then her body begins to produce antibodies in response to a foreign antigen.
Re-entry of Rh-positive erythrocytes already causes a massive formation of Rh antibodies, which easily overcome the placental barrier and enter the bloodstream of the fetus, causing the development of the fetus and newborn. The antibodies are directed against the Rh factor on the surface of the erythrocyte and lead to the destruction of the fetal erythrocytes.
Severe anemia develops in utero, which leads to tissue hypoxia, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and dysfunction of the internal organs of the fetus. When an erythrocyte is destroyed, a large amount of bilirubin enters the bloodstream, which, being deposited in the brain, leads to encephalopathy and kernicterus. Without treatment, anemia and disruption of the internal organs are steadily progressing, the terminal stage of fetal hemolytic disease develops - edematous, in which fluid accumulates in the chest and abdominal cavity. As a rule, at this stage the fetus dies in utero.
It is worth noting that the Rhesus conflict is one of the reasons, but never affects conception and miscarriage in the early stages.
When should you be afraid?
Mom is Rh-positive - Dad is Rh-negative: there is no reason to worry, this situation does not affect either conception, or gestation, or childbirth.
Mother is Rh-negative - father is Rh-negative: there will be no problems either, the baby will be born with Rh-negative blood.
Mom is Rh-negative - Dad is Rh-positive: this situation requires special attention not only of doctors, but also of the woman herself, since your health is in your hands, and all subsequent information is extremely important for you.
Women with Rh-negative blood should be very responsible approach to the issue. Remember that every unwanted pregnancy increases the risk of not having a baby in the future.
Situations leading to the development of Rhesus conflict
As mentioned above, the starting point for the development of the Rh conflict is the entry of Rh-positive erythrocytes of the fetus into the bloodstream of the Rh-negative mother.
When it's possible:
artificial termination of pregnancy () at any time;
spontaneous miscarriage at any time;
;
after childbirth, including after;
nephropathy (preeclampsia);
bleeding during pregnancy;
invasive procedures during pregnancy: cordocentesis, chorionic villus sampling;
abdominal trauma during pregnancy;
a history of blood transfusion without taking into account the Rh factor (currently this is extremely rare).
All the situations described require specific prophylaxis, the introduction of anti-Rhesus gamma globulin.
Prevention of Rhesus conflict
The only proven method of preventing Rhesus conflict at present is the introduction of anti-Rhesus gamma globulin - and patients should remember this first of all! All situations described above require the administration of anti-Rhesus gamma globulin in the first 72 hours but the sooner the better. For high efficiency of the preventive action, it is necessary to strictly observe the timing of the drug administration.
Pregnancy in a woman with Rh negative blood
After registration in a patient with Rh-negative blood, it is recommended to determine the titer of anti-Rh antibodies in the blood every month, starting from early pregnancy.
The first signs of a possible hemolytic disease of the fetus are determined by the results of ultrasound on - pregnancy.
Home " Life " If the parents are Rh positive. Negative Rh factor in a child - the norm or pathology
