what is the RH factor in pregnant woman?

Question

My sister found out that she is Rh negative and the father of the baby is positive. I am just trying to find out everyones exspereinces on this subject.

Answer 1

I'm O negative and my daughter is B positive. I had the Rhogam shot and my daughter still got antibodies from me and was Coombs Positive



This is from WebMD-



Rh is an antigen. The full name for this antigen is Rhesus factor.



If a pregnant woman with Rh-negative blood has a baby (fetus) with Rh-positive blood, Rh sensitization may occur. The baby gets Rh-positive blood from the father's genes. Rh sensitization happens when the baby's blood mixes with the mother's blood during delivery. This causes the mother's immune system to make antibodies against the baby's red blood cells in future pregnancies. This antibody response is called Rh sensitization and, depending on when it happens, can destroy the baby's red blood cells. If sensitization happens, the baby can develop mild to severe problems (called Rh disease, hemolytic disease of the newborn, or erythroblastosis fetalis). In rare cases, if Rh sensitization is not treated, the baby may die.



A woman with Rh-negative blood can get a vaccine called Rh immune globulin (such as RhoGAM) that almost always stops sensitization from occurring. Problems from Rh sensitization have become very rare since the Rh immune globulin vaccine was developed.

Answer 2

Ok, I just learned about this today.



Rh factor is a marker on the surface of the red blood cells in the mother and father. If the father is Rh positive and the mother is Rh negative and these two come together and conceive a child who becomes Rh positive, there you have a mother who is Rh negative and inside her womb is her Rh positive fetus...ok, everthing at the moment is fine, until delivery, in delivery drops of the babies blood mixes with the mother's blood. In the blood mix, the mother will develop an antibody to the babies blood (and you know what happens...the body will try to destroy any unknown particle). The first baby is born worry free because it was born while all this blood mixing was taking place and the antibodies were made after this baby was born. So the first child will be A-ok. The problem comes with the second child who will most likely be Rh positive like the first child. When the mother's immune system detects the presence of Rh positive blood yet again, the immune system will try to destroy the unborn fetus. It can be devastating. However there is a 100% cure.

If on the first pregnancy at least on the 20th week of gestation (pregnancy), or at least 72 hours before birth, that if she gets a Rhogam shot, this will never occur. It is pretty scary to hear at first, but as long as she gets this shot before her delivery, then it will keep her immune system from producing antibodies that may harm the second child. and that is it in a nut shell.

Answer 3

The Rh factor (or rhesus factor) is a type of protein on the surface of red blood cells - most folks with the factor are Rh positive, those without are Rh negative. The + or - is known and noticed by most people as information on their blood type (i.e. A+ or B-) and for little more until a pregnancy is involved.



If the mother is Rh negative, her body may develop antibodies protecting itself from the Rh positive baby with an allergic type reaction. As a result the mother's antibodies may cross over the placenta and attack the baby's red blood cells causing anemia.



On the up side of things, there is an injection that may be used during pregnancy and delivery to prevent adverse reactions in an Rh negative mommy-to-be.

Answer 4

The Rh is the sign that goes with the blood type. If you have O neg blood type then negative is the Rh part. The baby has a 50% change of being either neg or pos -- it has no effect on baby's health, unless mom is O neg. O neg. mommies need a RhoGAM shot after giving birth (sometimes they give this shot during pregnancy and definatly give if fetus experiences trama or there is a miscarrage.) This is in case the baby's blood gets into the mother's bloodstream. Not a problem on 1st birth. If no shot & 1st baby is Rh positive & blood mixes, mommy will develop antibodies to Rh pos. If she has another Rh positive fetus mommy's immune system will attack and kill baby in fetus.

Answer 5

Now there is very little worry associated with it. As long as it's identified they can give you the shot to prevent you from building antibodies that can harm the baby (ussually it's future babies at risk not the first)

My cousin however lost a her second child berfore the RH factor was well understood and it really wasn't that long ago. The baby had positive blood and the antibodies she picked up from her mother so her own body was literally destroying it's blood cells.

Even with out the shot not all babies may be affected, that may be why it went so long with out study. But it now has a simple prevention. Usually a shot at 28 weeks, then depending on the doctor one or two more, one right before and/or after birth or just one after.

Congrats to your sister and try not to worry

Answer 6

I got the shot with my first pregnancy, and they said I would need in again if I ever had another pregnancy. Since you already misscarried chances are your body has built up the immunity to the RH positive blood, so it seems like the doctor should have given you the shot so that your body doesn't reject this baby. I think you should stick with your gut feeling, and see another doctor. Then let them explain why you may not need to shot yet. Explain the misscarriage, and maybe that will make them understand that you need to shot sooner than later. (My daughter ended up having RH positive blood) Good Luck!!

Answer 7

It means that her blood type is negative and the father's is positive. For example, mine is AB+ and my mother's is A-. If the baby's blood type is positive.



Here's what I found on Yahoo Health about it :



"Rhesus (Rh) factor refers to a specific antigen in the blood. Problems can occur when an Rh negative woman is pregnant with an Rh positive baby — which can occur if the father of the child is Rh positive.



Your immune system normally protects against potentially harmful substances (antigens) by making antibodies to help destroy them. An Rh negative woman pregnant with an Rh positive fetus may make antibodies to the Rh positive fetal cells. In a subsequent pregnancy, these antibodies may destroy the fetal red blood cells, leading to serious problems in the fetus.



To reduce this risk, an Rh negative pregnant woman receives injections of Rho (D) immune globulin (RhoGAM). This injection blocks the recognition of Rh positive cells by the mother's body at the times a pregnant woman is most likely to be exposed to cells from her Rh positive baby — at about 28 weeks in the pregnancy and immediately after delivery. With these injections, Rh negative women can have safe Rh positive pregnancies.



If you are Rh negative, it is important to report any bleeding you may experience during pregnancy and remind your doctor of your Rh negative status. He or she may recommend injections of RhoGAM in these circumstances as well."

Answer 8

It's related to your blood type. If you're A+, than you're Rh positive. O- and you're Rh negative.



If the pregnant woman is positive and the father is negative, shots will be administered to protect the baby.



In the situation you described, nothing will be done and the baby is safe.



My husband and I had that scenario. I am O-, He is O+. Our baby girl is just fine.



The problem comes when a positive baby (from the father) passes through the mother's negative blood (mainly at delivery) The mother's blood kind of attacks the baby and can kill it. In my sources is a very good page about it.

Answer 9

Rh disease occurs when an Rh-negative mother and her husband conceive an Rh positive child. When a few of the baby's Rh positive red blood cells cross into the mother's system via the placenta, either through a fall or accident, an amniocentesis, during a miscarriage, elective abortion, or ectopic (tubular) pregnancy, or after delivery when the placenta is removed, the mother's immune system identifies these Rh positive fetal RBCs as foreign and sets out to immediately destroy them, as well as form long-term antibodies to fight them off at a later time.



If you are an Rh negative woman and you are carrying an Rh positive child during your first pregnancy, the chance of becoming sensitized and causing a problem for the baby is small. If the baby's RBCs pass into the mother's system, her body responds by producing antibodies and she becomes "Rh sensitized." As a result, she will always carry these antibodies in her immune system.



Early in pregnancy a standard group of routine prenatal blood tests are done on nearly all pregnant women. Included in this panel of tests is a blood test to determine your blood type (A, B, or O), your Rh status (positive or negative), and your antibody status. In this simple test, the laboratory is looking for a reaction by specific antibodies that might be present in your blood, specifically, if you have an Rh antibody, and if you do, what is the antibody exactly. If the antibody screen is negative then you are considered "unsensitized." If it is positive, the lab goes on to identify the exact antibody. The risks for potential problems with this pregnancy are then addressed. Prevention is only necessary and effective if you are Rh negative with an antibody screen that is negative.



In this circumstance, sensitization can be prevented by giving the Rh negative woman an injection of Rh immunoglobulin (RhoGAM™) during and after pregnancy. Rh immunoglobulin is an antibody derived from human blood products, which is injected into one of your muscles, usually an arm or buttock. With this specific antibody, your immune system is fooled into thinking it has already made these antibodies and blocks your immune system from producing any more.



So if you are Rh negative with a negative antibody screen, it is considered standard prenatal care to give you injections of RhoGAM™ to prevent Rh sensitization. You will receive two shots, one at twenty-eight weeks gestation and then again within seventy-two hours after the birth of your baby, if your baby is Rh positive. This method of prevention seems to block sensitization for a period of about twelve weeks, which is why you need two injections during the course of your pregnancy. For this reason, it is important that RhoGAM™ be given with all of your pregnancies, even those which may result in miscarriage, elective termination, or an ectopic pregnancy.



RhoGAM™ is given any time the placenta is disturbed due to an accident or blow to the stomach, which could cause the placenta to pull away from the wall of the uterus. It should also be given after an amniocentesis and after an episode of vaginal bleeding.

Answer 10

The RH positive factor in women is often the cause of Miscarriage. I was tested for that with my first pregnancy (that ended in miscarriage) and was neg. They said that it can become a problem in women who ARE positive, and their babies are negative, or vice versa - it will result in causing miscarriages. I dont know anything about the father being RH positive, or if that affects anything though. They never tested my husband, so i'm guessing not?