Implications of a "Negative" Blood Type

132 Comments:

• At Fri Apr 06, 08:22:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi. I have been married for close to 6 years already and would really want to have child of my own. I am 37 years old and Type Blood O. Recently, I found out that my husband is A-. Would this be a possibility of me not conceiving all these times? Thanks very much.
  Mae Sy

   

• At Sat Apr 07, 01:02:00 AM 2007,  Steph said…

  I wish this information had been available twenty five years ago. Good explaination, much better than I recieved at the time! I did have the injection after my first child but my second had to be induced at thirty seven weeks, had to have a full blood transfusion and was diagnosed with CP at nine months, due to my Rh neg reaction with his blood group.

   

• At Thu Apr 12, 01:49:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Thank you, someone finally explained this in layman's terms! I understand blood-typing and I'm not a third-year med student!

   

• At Thu Apr 26, 05:53:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Thanks to all of you for reading and for your questions and positive feedback!
  
  Mae, at your age, if you have not successfully gotten pregnant in 6 years, you need to seek out a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility as soon as possible. Don't "beat around the bush!" You need a real expert who can evaluate you and your partner and help you FAST. At your age, you are running out of options quickly. Best of luck to you!

   

• At Sun May 13, 12:32:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello. I have one daughter, who was born 9 years ago now & since I have had two miscarriages, both of which have ended in the first trimester. I have known I am rhesus negative since falling pregnant with my daughter. I have advised the midwifes of my blood group each time I find out I am pregnant again & they have advised me that its not really of any concern unless I get to 12 weeks. I have bled early in both miscarriages & after some research I believe I should have been given the anti-d injection before the 12 weeks stage. Can you please tell me if this really is the case & if my blood group could be the reason I am having now experiencing problems carrying a child to term?

   

• At Wed May 16, 06:39:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  It is the standard of care to administer Rh-immune globulin to Rh-negative women who miscarry, regardless of the gestational age, unless the known father of the baby is also Rh-negative. It is highly unlikely that your blood type is responsible for the miscarriages. Even if you were 'Rh-sensitized' (i.e., had antibodies to Rh), this usually does not cause problems until later in pregnancy.

   

• At Wed May 16, 10:19:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello,
  
  If both of my parents are A+ and I am O- is that possible and why? Thank G.H.

   

• At Thu May 17, 10:35:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Yes, it is possible and that means each of your parents MUST be heterozygous for both their major blood group (in this case A) and their RhD status. That means they each have only one dose of each of those genes, rather than two. In other words, each of your parents MUST be A,O/RhD+,RhD-. Remember, we each have two sets of chromosomes, one we got from each of our parents. In the case of the genes for major blood groups and Rh, you only need to have ONE gene that codes for a major blood group or Rh to give you the appearance (phenotype)of that group or Rh status. In your case, you could have ended up as A,A/Rh+,Rh+ (which looks like A+); A,O/Rh+,Rh- (which looks like A+); O,O/Rh+,Rh- (which looks like O+), or O,O/Rh-,Rh- (which is what you are, O-). Of course, all this assumes these really are both your parents, but I am not going to open up that can of worms!

   

• At Mon May 21, 07:50:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  37 years ago i gave birth to a postive child .i am rh a negitive .he died 2 years ago every organ in him was enlarged.i did not receive the injection after his birth.the second child had my blood type.he seems to be ok .no one explained these complications to me.

   

• At Mon May 21, 10:12:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Hi, I am sorry about your son, but I am not clear about what happened to him. You are Rh-negative, but are you also Rh-sensitized or did he die from some other problem?

   

• At Mon May 21, 10:17:00 AM 2007,  shirley said…

  i had a r h positive baby 37 years ago .i am rh a neg my husband was rh a pos.they forgot to give me the shot .he died 2 years ago all of his organs were enlarged.he had heart dicease.lung failure .kidney failure .i wish i had known of these problems years ago.

   

• At Mon May 28, 05:17:00 AM 2007,  mary said…

  Hi. I am rh- and both my parents are rh+, how is this possible? my school biology tells me this cannot be.

   

• At Mon May 28, 12:31:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Hi Mary,
  Yes it IS possible. Assuming they ARE your parents, they must both be HETEROZYGOTES (each having one Rh-positive and one Rh-negative gene). Going back to H.S. biology, each time they got together, they would have a 1/4 chance of having an Rh-negative baby (two Rh-negative genes) and a 3/4 chance of having an Rh-positive baby (1/4 chance of having a baby that had two Rh-positive genes + 2/4 chance of having a baby with one Rh-positive and one Rh-negative gene -just like them). Rh-positive acts as a DOMINANT gene and only one dose of it needs to be expresssed for them to be 'Rh-positive.' See my comments from May 17 above. If both of your parents were Rh- negative, you could not be Rh-positive, but the opposite is not true! You don't need to ask your Mom who your real Daddy is!

   

• At Sat Jun 09, 07:23:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  HI
  I am O-positive and pregnant and I was wondering if there are any risks for my baby. I am know three months pregnant, and I havent had any shots.

   

• At Mon Jun 11, 12:28:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  If you are O-positive, then that means you are 'Rh-positive'and should be at very low risk for isoimmunization problems. Even if you had a blood transfusion in the past, part of the 'routine' labs done by your doctor is an 'antibody screen' which looks for other antibodies you could have developed to blood that is 'foreign' to yours. Presumably this antibody screen was also negative or they would have told you about it.
  
  Occasionally, women with O blood types can have babies that have problems with 'major blood group incompatibilities'. If you are O, then you will have antibodies against blood types A and B. Usually those antibodies are IgM antibodies and are too big to get across the placenta to the baby. However, sometimes folks will also make the smaller IgG antibodies that will cross the placenta and may cause the baby to break down its own blood as happens with Rh-isoimmunization. Unlike Rh-disease, this very rarely causes severe anemia while the baby is in the womb, but occasionally will cause the baby to have some anemia and prolonged elevation of bilirubin (a breakdown product of the hemoglobin released from the damaged red blood cells)and may require therapy for that.
  
  Anyway, don't sweat that right now. Sounds like things are going well, so have a great pregancy! Thanks for reading and for your question.

   

• At Sun Jun 17, 09:28:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Im not happy with some of the choices that I have made.With my first abortion I learned that I was B-, I didnt know exactly what that ment. I did know that it wasnt exactly good being that I had to have shots before and after the abortion so that {from what they said} my body wouldnt go into some hormonal shock.Gradually I learned on my own that my body{if I were to have a child }would actually fight off the child that was growing inside of me! Even now I wonder if I were to be pregnant again what should I do? Would I need to get shots right away? And if I didnt during the first trimester would I be indangering my child? All these things you need to know. After my second abortion my doctor forgot to give me my shot, which was needed. Next thing you know Im in emergency. I guess my question is why are these shots sooooo important? And why must you have them pre and post abortion? Without injections will it cause you your life? Also I by no means feel that abortion should be used as a controseptive, but lets get real. I myself have had three abortions, and all were, there was no discussing it had to be done!Im not proud, but there was no way in hell I was going to bring a child into this world without me at least having some kind of right mind and proper education. Now there are no excuses.

   

• At Tue Jun 19, 04:08:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Hey there. STOP KICKING YOURSELF!!!! The reason we give the Rh-immune globulin (antibodies against Rh-positive blood cells) to women during and after any pregnancy is to prevent them from developing their own antibodies to Rh-positive red blood cells. The immune globulin helps to kill off any red cells you might be exposed to from an Rh-positive baby and then the antibodies are gone and cannot hurt you or another baby. If you do develop your own antibodies, these stay in your body and may affect an Rh-positive baby (see my post on that subject) in the future. These antibodies do NOT cause miscarriages early in pregnancy, but they will not harm you. It is your doctors responsibility to give that to you after a miscarriage or an abortion. If you are worried about this, have someone check your "blood type and antibody screen" before you decide to carry a baby. If the antibody screen is "positive", that means you have developed antibodies and your doctor can explain what that might mean for a pregnancy. Doctors routinely do that as part of the blood work that gets done on all pregnant women anyway. By the way, there are reliable contraceptive options available to you if you really don't want to get pregnant. That would be so much better than having repeated abortions!

   

• At Thu Jun 21, 12:11:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Can You explain how two parents both O+ can have a child O-.

   

• At Sun Jun 24, 06:18:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous from June 21: See my response to Mary on May 28, 2007. That will answer your question too! Your folks must BOTH be heterozygous - that means they each only carry one Rh-positive gene rather than two. Thanks for reading!

   

• At Sun Jun 24, 07:46:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with my 5th child. With an O- blood type and my husband having an O+ blood type, I became sensitized in my 2nd pregnancy. My babies were born quite jaundiced, but no other health issues. I just happen to be concerned this time around, however, that I'm not doing enough to ensure the health of my unborn child. My doctor does the tither screening each month and seems to think that my numbers are low and stable. I have done research, however, and my tither being 1:40 last time I checked seems like a high number. Should I be seeing a specialist? Should the baby's well being be better monitored?

   

• At Thu Jun 28, 06:13:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello,
  Brilliant article. Assists understanding of the complex Rh blood typing.
  Trying to understand the subject.
  Cheers
  Wally
  New Zealand.
  Fri June 29th, 07.13.15 PM

   

• At Sat Jun 30, 01:25:00 PM 2007,  Caroline said…

  Hi, I am O+ & my husband is A, our son is O-. I have had 2 blighted ova in a row and am concerned that I am developing antibodies to my fetus which could most likely be A as well as A is dominant over O right? What do you think & what can I do?
  Thanks

   

• At Sun Jul 01, 02:53:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Wally, thanks for readng and for your kind comments. Hope the article helped!

   

• At Mon Jul 02, 09:55:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Caroline June 30: If your blood type is O, you already have antibodies to both A and B major blood group antigens. This is 'normal' and should not affect you ability to carry a pregnancy. If you had blighted ovums twice, these were most likely chromosomammly abnormal pregnancies. Unless you have developed some underlying medical condition (e.g., thyroid disease, autoantibodies, fibroids, uterine polyp, etc...), or either you or your spouse has a chromosomal rearrangement that would increase your risks for creating gametes that are abnormal (and you were lucky and rolled the dice right with your son), you probably will do just fine in the long run. The best thing you've got going for you is having already had a baby with your current partner. Hang in there. If you do have another miscarriage, consider having chromosome studies done on the products of conception and perhaps beginning a more thorough workup for recurrent early pregnancy loss. Best of luck and thanks for reading!

   

• At Tue Jul 03, 11:15:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi, my wife has been worried for some time that her parents, brother and sister are all O+ blood, whilst she is A rhesus neg.
  Is this possible.
  Many thanks.

   

• At Tue Jul 03, 03:14:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 3: Check out the third paragraph in my post above. If what you are telling me is accurate, and BOTH her parents are O type, then one or both is/are not her parent(s) in the biological sense. (Rh is irrelevant in this situation. They could both be Rh-positive and, i they were both heterozygous, produce an Rh-negative child). I think your wife should sit and talk with a local doctor (perhaps a hematologist) and her parents and work this out. Be careful what you say to her without the laboratory data in hand to back up your story. Thanks for reading and I wish you all luck.

   

• At Sat Jul 07, 06:38:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello-
  I am A- and my husband is A+. I have had three pregnancies and received RhoGam at 28 weeks and postpartum with all. I am pregnant with my fourth child now. At my initial blood work (at 16 weeks), the Rh titer was negative. Then at 28 weeks, in preparation for the RhoGam shot, I had my blood drawn and I have an Rh titer of 1:4. So, I can't get the RhoGam and I've been referred to a perinatologist for evaluation. I've never heard that a mother can become sensitized during a pregnancy (without any known trauma to the placenta). How often does this occur? Why aren't Rh negative women given RhoGam earlier in pregnancy, if this can happen?

   

• At Mon Jul 09, 11:19:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 7: Yes, you can become isoimmunized during pregnancy, but this occurs in only 1-2% of pregnancies when Rh-immune globulin is not given and most of the time this doesn't happen until the third trimester. That's why 28 weeks was chosen as the time to give the Rhogam. You have a low titer at this time and this late in the pregnancy with a titer this low, it is unlikely the baby will develop severe anemia. However, all bets are off for subsequent pregnancies. We can now screen women at risk by simple Doppler flow measurements (the peak systolic velocity) in the baby's middle cerebral artery by ultrasound. This saves us (and you) from having to do serial invasive (amniocentesis) procedures. I am sure the MFM doc will discuss this with you. Good luck and hope things turn out fine! Thanks for reading and for the great question.

   

• At Mon Jul 09, 01:15:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi, I am Rh Negative and my sister is Rh Positive can this be right?
  I have read all of the comments but still do not competely understand.

   

• At Fri Jul 13, 01:56:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  My blood type is A- , at 17 I became pregnant and had a healthy happy baby. No one explained the posibility of complications for future pregnancies. Now 25,I just became pregnant again, (unexpectantly, but happily recieved)and I've been reading about Rh negative pregnancies. I have no idea if I was given a shot after my first child or not. What happens now if I wasn't given the shot? If I wasn't, is my pregnancy at high risk? And if I was given the shot does that mean the baby and I are safe?
  Thanks
  Krystal

   

• At Fri Jul 13, 07:08:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 9: If your parents are the same, yes it is possible and it simply means that both of your parents are 'heterozygous' for the D gene. That means they each have one chromosome that carries D and one that does not. When they make babies, each parent only contributes one of those chromosomes so, they can produce Rh (D)-positive children who have either two D chromosomes or Rh (D)- positive children like themselves that have one D-positive and one D-negative chromosome (remember, it takes only one dose of D to make you D 'positive'), or children that contain two D-negative chromosomes (like your sister must). That's what makes her Rh-negative. Make a four square table and put a positive and a negative (representing one parent)above the top two squares and another positive and negative (representing the other parent)to the left of the side squares and you can see for yourself what I am talking about. Hope this helps!

   

• At Fri Jul 13, 03:53:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 13: At your ae it would have been VERY unusual not to have gotten the Rh-immune globulin shot after delivery unless of course your baby's blood type is also Rh-negative. Even if you needed the shot, and failed to get it,. only a small percentage of women will actualy become sensitized. Don't fret over this right now. As part of the routine blood work your doctor will do for the pregnancy, a blood type and antibody screen will be performed to look for ANY abnormal blood type antibodies you might have developed over time. Odds are things will be fine. Let me know if they're not! Thanks for reading and for a good question.

   

• At Fri Jul 20, 06:32:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi,
  
  I am O+ and my wife is O-. We have been trying to get pregnant for about 7 months. She is worried that becuase I am Rh+ and she is Rh-, this "incompatibility" may be the reason why. I am not convinced it the case, as I had a daugther with an Rh- lady in my previous marriage. But I will need confirmation from you that I am right. Thanks!

   

• At Fri Jul 20, 11:14:00 AM 2007,  sri said…

  Hi.My blood group is O+ and my husband blood group is B+ and my sons blood group is also O+.I did not get any shot after my first delivery and my son is healthy child.And now iam second time 8th month pregnent.And even now doctors did not give me any shot and did not tell me anything about it.So is it ok or any problem for me or for my 2nd child.please give reply to my question.
  Thanks very much.
  sri

   

• At Fri Jul 20, 02:47:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 20 0632: It is doubtful the Rh incompatibility is contributing at all to her 'infertility'. Tell her I think you are correct and that you two might want to find a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility to figure out why she isn't getting pregnant. Thanks for reading!

   

• At Fri Jul 20, 02:48:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 20 1114: You do NOT need the shot since you are BOTH Rh-positive. Thanks for reading!

   

• At Wed Jul 25, 07:55:00 PM 2007,  Amy said…

  Hello. I was hoping you could expand on the likelihood of complications from a second sensitized pregnancy. I found out during my third pregnancy that I had the antibodies & my son was born at 37 weeks with severe jaundice, receiving a blood transfusion 5 days after he was born. He was sent home after 8 days in the hospital with no apparent damage. The information available on Rh disease at the time was minimal. So now, my concern is that I am remarried and would like to have another child (he has none), but realistically, what are the risks statistically speaking? I do not want to make a decision like this blindly.

   

• At Fri Jul 27, 05:14:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  Amy: The risks depend on many factors - your antibody titer, your partners blood type, and the blood type of the baby the two of you conceive. Because you had one affected baby, if you have another Rh-positive baby, that baby has a greater risk of being affected as well, and perhaps even earlier in the pregnancy. I would suggest you find a local specialist in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and review your concerns in 'preconceptional counseling.' Thanks for the question and good luck!

   

• At Sat Jul 28, 03:57:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi, I am currently 24 weeks pregnant, and I have a B- blood type. I am not sure what my partner is, but my ob was informing me about me having to receive some type of shot b/c my bsbys blood type is unknown. I have had a previous abortion, and was not given any type of shot. What steps should I take to ensure a healthy pregnancy? Also what complications do I still face if I do receive the required shot at 28 weeks and also at delivery? Thanks

   

• At Mon Jul 30, 10:22:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 28: If your partner is Rh-negative and you are sure he is the baby's father, then you do not need the shot. Otherwise, getting the shot now and again after delivery (if the baby turns out to be Rh-positive) protects more than 99% of women from getting sensitized to Rh.

   

• At Mon Jul 30, 04:05:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  I am A- and my husband is A+. I just delivered a healthy baby boy 2 weeks ago. When they tested his blood to see what type he was, it came back O+. I asked the nurse if it was possible since I was A- and my husband was A+. She asked if he was the father! He is the father - no doubt about that. After I told my husband this, he is acting like he is questioning the same thing. Please explain to me how it is perfectly possible for this to be in a way that he will have his mind at ease. Thanks much.

   

• At Mon Jul 30, 04:53:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 30: Yes it is very possible (and the nurse was quite inappropriate in her comments to you.) See my responses to patients on May 17 and May 28, 2007. The same principles apply to major blood group antigens (A,B, and O) as to Rh antigens. Your baby could be O+ if you and your husband are both heterozygous (have only one chromosome dose) for the A antigen. If you are AO and your husband is AO, you will both phenotypically be "A". But you could have children who are homozygous AA or OO, or children that are also heterozygous AO. Your son inherited one dose of O from you and one from your husband. He also got one dose of D from your husband and that is why he is Rh-positive. Don't sweat it and tell the nurse she needs to keep her mouth shut if she doesn't know what she's talking about! Thanks for reading and have your husband send me a note if he still doesn't understand! It gives me great pleasure to save marriages on occasion! Dr T

   

• At Tue Jul 31, 02:14:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Thank you Dr. T! You explained it beautifully. Put marriage counselor on your resume as well!

   

• At Tue Jul 31, 05:14:00 PM 2007,  aaasfh said…

  Hi. My mother is O+ and dad was B+ , I am B+.I'm 6 weeks pregnant, and my husband is B+ too. Do you think it would lead to any problems to the child or me? I'm not sure but somebody told me that it would since we both have same blood type.Thanks in advance.

   

• At Thu Aug 02, 11:18:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 31 0214: Glad to have helped out! Dr T

   

• At Thu Aug 02, 11:20:00 AM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous July 31 0514: There may be a slightly higher miscarriage rate among couples with the same blood types, but it is NOT usually a problem. Hope things go well with the pregnancy and thanks for your comment! Dr T

   

• At Thu Aug 02, 04:03:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  I want some explanation on a (medical level) for this case:
  
  a patient had an abortion at the 5th week and she is RH negative ,Anti D was not given since she started threatend abortion, should she recieve Anti D or she does not need it as the abortion was at the 5th week pregnancy?knowing that her IAT is negative
  
  another Question: If for the previous case the IAT showed to be positive, what should I do??

   

• At Thu Aug 02, 04:27:00 PM 2007,  Mostafa said…

  I want some explanation on a (medical level) for this case:
  
  a patient had an abortion at the 5th week of pregnancy and she is RH negative ,Anti D was not given since she started threatend abortion(2 weeks ago), should she recieve Anti D or she does not need it as the abortion was at the 5th week pregnancy?knowing that her IAT is negative
  
  another Question: If for the previous case the IAT showed to be positive, what should I do??

   

• At Fri Aug 03, 05:51:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Mostafa: If you are using a IAT (indirect antiglobulin test) that detects anti-Rh antibodies (anti-D), and the patient screens negative (i.e, she doesn't have any Rh antibodies), most providers in the U.S. would administer Rh-immune globulin rather than taking the small risk that she would become sensitized by such a pregnancy. If she is ALREADY positive for these antibodies, then she is already sensitized and does NOT need Rh-immune globulin. It wouldn't do any harm under those circumstances, but it also wouldn't be helping her any either, so it would be an unnecessary expense. Does that answer your question? Dr T

   

• At Sat Aug 04, 02:59:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi. My wife has O+ blood type and I am O-. We already had a year and half healthy daughter. My wife did not get any shots for her first pregnancy and she is now in her 27 weeks second pregnancy. Does my wife need to get a shot and what risk could happen if she did not?
  Thank you so much.

   

• At Thu Aug 09, 04:06:00 PM 2007,  Mostafa said…

  I am Mostafa
  Thanks alot Dr.T for your time

   

• At Fri Aug 10, 09:47:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  My Blood Group and my wife's blood group is O-Positive. I would really want to have child of my own now. Is there any problem for our child.

   

• At Sat Aug 11, 06:25:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  hai, iam O positive and my husband is O negative. i was wondering if there are any porblems in conceiving? because we married for 2 years and iam facing problems in menstration for the past 2 years. last december i have D&C for prolonged bleeding. now also iam having prolonged bleeding. is this because of the blood types? pls answer to my question thanks

   

• At Sun Aug 12, 03:42:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous August 4: No your wife does not need Rh-immune globulin. She is Rh-positive. It is only given to Rh-negative women to protect them from developing antibodies to Rh. However, if YOU managed to get pregnant, you WOULD need the shot (assuming of course your wife is the mother of the baby!). ;) Dr T

   

• At Sun Aug 12, 03:43:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Mostafa August 9: You're welcome. Thanks for letting me know that you got my response! Dr T

   

• At Sun Aug 12, 03:48:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous August 10: Your child should not be at any increased risk because of your common blood types. The baby will be O, but his/her Rh status cannot be determined unless we know if you and your wife are heterozygous or homozygous for the D antigen...but don't worry about that! Thanks for reading and hope you have a bevy of little O's! Dr T

   

• At Mon Aug 13, 06:41:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello. I am A- and I had a healthy baby girl 9 years ago. About 8 years ago I had a RU-486 abortion and I can't remember if I had the RH shot. Today I am 20 weeks pregnant and cheduled for the shot at 28 weeks but am concerned for the baby since I don't know if I had shot 8 years ago. Will I be protected if I get shot at 28 weeks or should I have had a shot sooner?

   

• At Tue Aug 14, 06:53:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Aug 12: Your difficulty conceiving has nothing to do with your different blood types. It sounds like you are ovulating irregularly or not at all. Your OB/GYN doctor or an infertility specialist can help with the proper evaluation and treatment of that and help you to ovulate on schedule so that you have a better chance of getting pregnant. Good luck! Dr T

   

• At Tue Aug 14, 06:58:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Aug 13: You were probably not sensitized by the earlier termination or your doctors would know by now. We always do an "antibody screen" as part of the New OB labs done early in pregnancy and if that was negative, you did not have Rh-antibodies at that time. If you are worried, you can ask your doctors to check again before they give you the Rh-immune globulin at 28 weeks. Everything will probably turn out just fine! Best wishes. Dr T

   

• At Sat Aug 25, 06:50:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hi there
  
  I am O+ and my husband is A+, will we be able to have healthy children? Also, if I do get pregnant, will i miscarry? Because I read somewhere that O+ positive mums its really hard for them to get pregnant by A+ dads. Help me! I am so confused because I am getting mixed signals from everwhere!

   

• At Sun Aug 26, 06:53:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  I was given the Rh immunoglobulin shot at just 6 weeks pregnant. They did not test my husband for his blood type. I have since learnt that it's the usual practise to test the fathers blood and give the shot at 28 weeks?
  Will the fact that they gave me the shot at 6 weeks cause any problems?
  Also, I have a 1 in 176 chance of having a down syndrome child due to my blood work - could this RH shot have affected the outcome?

   

• At Mon Aug 27, 06:02:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Aug 26: In the U.S., it is not 'standard of care' to actually check blood type of the baby's father before giving Rh-immune globulin to Rh-negative women unless there is a good reason to know. We will frequently ask if the blood type is known, but if there is ANY question at all regarding paternity, it is safer to give the shot than risk becoming sensitized to Rh. Giving the shot at 6 weeks with a miscarriage will not cause problems with a subsequent pregnancy and it is NOT the reason your blood work has put you at increased risk for having a baby with Down syndrome. Thanks for reading and good luck with your pregnancy! Dr T

   

• At Mon Aug 27, 06:09:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Aug 25: The difference in your blood types should not significantly increase your risk for infertility or miscarriages. RELAX and go get pregnant! Thanks for reading! Dr T

   

• At Tue Aug 28, 09:28:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  hello, I am very confused, i have been reading all the posts but am still not sure about my question. My husband and i were pregnantbut at 10 weeks we miscarried, can this have anything to do with our blood types.Or is it gonna be any more difficult for us to become pregnant? He is O- and I am O+ are we gonna have trouble getting and staying pregnant as this last pregnancy, the fetus did not grow and fetal parts. Please help!!!

   

• At Tue Aug 28, 06:05:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Aug 28: I am sorry you miscarried, but it is very unlikely that your blood types had anything to do with it or that they are going to prevent you from having a baby. And, since you are Rh-positive, you will not need the Rh-immune globulin shot during your pregnancy. Keep your chin up, and try again! Good luck to both of you. Dr T

   

• At Sun Sep 02, 06:08:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  I was recently pregnant and miscarried at 6 weeks. Since I am RH negative, I was given a shot of Rhogam and was told that it would last in my system for three months. I am pregnant again (5 weeks) and know that the Rhogam is no longer in my system. Will I need another shot ASAP?

   

• At Mon Sep 03, 08:33:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Hello! I am A- and my husband is O+. Will we have problems conceiving or problems during the pregnancy because of our different blood types?

   

• At Tue Sep 04, 06:04:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Sept 2: Your doctor will perform an antibody screen on you as part of the standard 'new OB' labs early in this new pregnancy. If there is no evidence of sensitization to Rh-antigen (odds are you were entirely protected from becoming sensitized by having gotten Rhogam with your miscarriage), then you will not get another shot of Rhogam until about 28 weeks, unless you have an indication such as bleeding, trauma, or an amniocentesis with this pregnancy before then. Best wishes this time around and thank you for reading! Dr T

   

• At Tue Sep 04, 06:13:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Anonymous Sept 3: Your different blood types should not increase difficulty conceiving. Because you are Rh-negative and your husband is Rh-positive, you are at a small risk of becoming 'sensitized' to the Rh-antigen during a pregnancy (if the baby is Rh-positive like your husband) or at the time of delivery. However, giving Rhogam (which contains anti-Rh antibody) during and after the pregnancy greatly reduces the chance of isoimmunization. I certainly wouldn't sweat the issue at this point! Go out (or stay in) and get pregnant and don't fret about this. Thanks for reading! Dr T

   

• At Tue Sep 11, 07:24:00 AM 2007,  beegley101 said…

  I have been typed by the Red Cross as a voluteer blood donor as O+. i am now 21 weeks pregnant and have been typed twice by my OB's office as the results are calling me O-. My OB says I'm probably 'weak D.' I'm worried about taking rhogam. What happens if an Rh-positive patient gets rhogam?

   

• At Wed Sep 12, 05:25:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To beegley101 Sept 11: If the Red Cross has typed you as O-positive, and your doctor's office laboratory has not, I would go with the Red Cross. They are about as good as one can get in the blood-typing arena! Your doctor is probably correct - you likely have the Du-variant of Rh, sometimes referred to as the 'weak' Rh D-antigen, and technically this makes you Rh-positive. Du-positive women cannot become sensitized to the D-antigen. Therefore, Du-positive women do NOT need Rh-immune globulin (Rhogam) during their pregnancies. If you got it inadvertantly, it would probably not cause any harm to the baby, but you just don't need it. But, your doctor needs to get this sorted out once and for all, even if he/she has to send you to a hematologist to do so, althoough usually it is simply a matter of notifying the laboratory that there has been a discrpeancy in blood-typing and they need to screen for the Du-variant. This was a great question that I have not addressed in any of my posts on this subject. Du is very common in Black women, so I am sure a lot of readers will be interested in my response to your question. Thanks for reading! Dr T

   

• At Sun Sep 16, 12:10:00 AM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  Great information! I just miscarried and I want to know why. I am 0- and received a rhogam shot at 28 weeks with my 1st child. I did not receive a shot after delivery--I checked my records. Did this (not receiving a shot) contribute to my miscarriage?
  Wendy

   

• At Sun Sep 16, 09:47:00 PM 2007,  Prefering Anonymity said…

  My wife just delivered a baby girl 5 days ago who has elevated bilirubin levels with the cause thought to be ABO incompatibility. My wife is O-negative, I am A-positive and our daughter is A-positive/Combs-positive. My wife was not administered rhoGAM at any point during or after her pregnancy/delivery. Our pediatrician caught the jaundice fairly early and daughter is seems to be recovering, but I am also quite concerned with whether my wife and I can now safely have another child, as she did not receive rhoGAM. Is it possible for us to safely have another child and what would we need to do or screen for to do so? My thanks to you in advance.

   

• At Mon Sep 17, 07:33:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To Wendy Sept 16: The routine would have been to give you Rhogam after you delivered UNLESS your baby happened to be Rh-negative as well. It is very unlikely that not getting the Rhogam after delivery caused you to miscarry your recent pregnancy. That doesn't even seem to be a problem with individuals who ARE clearly Rh-isoimmunized. It's dealing with those pregnancies after the first trimester that becomes the challenge! Regards, and thanks for your question. Dr T

   

• At Mon Sep 17, 07:52:00 PM 2007,  Kenneth F. Trofatter, Jr., MD, PhD said…

  To preferring anonymity Sept 16: Your wife did not NEED Rhogam if your daughter was Rh-negative. ABO incompatibility is another issue. All people with O blood types make antibodies to A and B blood groups. They are exposed to those antigens in the environment (bacteria) and do not even need to be exposed to another human's blood to generate these antibodies. However, usually these antibodies are of the IgM class of antibodies. IgM antibodies are very large and basically contain a pentamer (5 antibodies) joined together. They are TOO BIG to cross the placenta to the baby. Occasionally, individuals also make anti-A or anti-B antibodies that are IgG class antibodies. These CAN cross the placenta and, indeed, IgG antibodies are a major source of 'immunity (passive immunity)' against common pathogens for the baby during the first 3-6 months of life. Unfortunately, the placenta doesn't differentiate between 'good' (protective) IgG antibodies and antibodies that might harm the baby. This is the same problem with Rh-isoimmunization when it occurs. The antibodies from the mother cross the placenta, attach to the fetal tissues that are foreign (in your baby's case blood group A red blood cells) and that signals the baby's immune system to destroy whatever the antibodies are attached to - at that point the baby's immune system cannot distinguish what uis 'foreign' and what is 'self'! With the destruction of the baby's own red cells, hemoglobin is released and its breakdown product, bilirubin, can cause jaundice and more serious problems if the bilirubin levels get high enough. When the baby has used up all the antibody it has gotten from Mom, it will not have anymore problems. To answer your other question, yes it is safe to have another baby under these circumstances. Often ABO incompatibility isn't much of a problem until after the baby is born, unlike with severe Rh-isoimmunization. Your doctors can assess the degree of fetal anemia in utero, indirectly, by doing peak systolic velocity of blood flow in the baby's middle cerebral artery by Doppler flow velocimetry if you are worried about fetal anemia during the pregnancy. Let them explain that to you! Best of luck, congratulations on your new baby, and thanks for reading and the great questions. Dr T

   

• At Mon Sep 17, 08:21:00 PM 2007,  Anonymous said…

  hello! great information thank you doctor. i am a neg adn my first child was o pos. he is now six and we haven't been able to have another chold. we have had three iuis with great timing and great eggs and lots of sperm. i have gotten pregnant every time and had a miscarriage all three times. lost the 1st at 6 weeks the 2nd at 7 weeks and the third at 4 weeks. i have been screened for everthing under the sun, but no one ever has given me the shot after any of the miscarriages. i read above that you said it doesn't cause early miscarriages but i feel liek that is what it is. i can't remember if they gave me the shot or not, after i had my boy who had jaudis and was very swollen when he was born by the way. but regardless since then i have had three miscarriages. i know for a fact i haven't received the shot after the 3 misca... ??? do you think as soon as the fetus develops blood cells my body attacks it and if so, does this mean if my huband is ++ that we wil NEVER be able to concieve?
  
  we ar egoing to adopt, but i still would love to have another one of my own too. thanks so much i am concerned...
  
  
  C