injection for b negative blood type in pregnancy

For ABO incompatibility, the effects are usually mild and go away with time, but with Rh incompatibility, the consequences can be very serious.Ī baby can be born with severe jaundice, characterized by a buildup of a substance called bilirubin. Jaundice, Kernicterus, and Cerebral Palsyīlood incompatibility between a mother and baby can cause various complications, including anemia and jaundice. Jaundice can be severe, especially when caused by Rh incompatibility, and may cause a specific type of brain damage that can lead to cerebral palsy. The most common symptom of HDN in a newborn is jaundice in the first 24 hours of life. When triggered by Rh proteins, this disease can be life-threatening for the baby. Rh incompatibility can cause very serious HDN, while ABO incompatibility is usually much less severe. Hemolytic disease of the newborn, or HDN, is characterized by the destruction of a fetus’s or a newborn’s red blood cells. It occurs when the mother is type O and the baby is A, B, or AB.Īs with Rh incompatibility, this means that the mother’s immune system does not recognize the A or B antigens and will see them as foreign substances that trigger an immune response and an attack. However, this incompatibility usually has less serious consequences. ABO CompatibilityĪ mother and child may also have an ABO blood type incompatibility, which can also cause hemolytic disease of the newborn. Rh disease is estimated to occur in 2 out of every 100,000 births in the U.S. Rh incompatibility between mother and fetus can cause a condition known as hemolytic disease of the newborn. These are partnerships in which the mother is Rh- and the father is either Rh+ or his Rh status is unknown. However, in about 13 percent of female partnerships, there is a risk that a pregnancy could result in an Rh incompatibility. This is not a very common problem since most people are Rh+. The fetus’s blood cells may also circulate into the mother, also prompting an attack. If there is a foreign antigen in the bloodstream, the immune system will create antibodies that attach to the antigens and signal an attack on them.Ī mother’s antibodies circulate in the fetus to help it survive while the immune system develops, but when there is a blood type incompatibility, those antibodies may go on the attack. This occurs because the blood typing proteins are antigens, which attract immune system antibodies. This is problematic because the mother’s body does not recognize the Rh protein and will treat it as a foreign substance. Rh incompatibility occurs during pregnancy if the mother is Rh- and the baby is Rh+. If you get a positive Rh gene from one parent and negative from another, your body will produce the Rh protein and you are considered Rh+. While there are four options for ABO, there are only two for Rh and positive is dominant. You get one gene from your mother and one from your father for ABO and Rh and that combination determines your blood type. In other words, everyone has one of each type, from ABO and Rh. When ABO and Rh and described together, there are eight different blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, and O.

Positive means that a person’s blood has the Rh protein and negative means that the protein is absent. Rh blood type is positive or negative, written as Rh+ or Rh. B refers to B antigens, AB means the blood cells have both types of antigens, and O means that there are no antigens on the blood cells. Someone with type A blood has A antigens on their red blood cells. There are two proteins, which are known as antigens, represented by A and B. Blood is typed as ABO, but also by Rh factor. More specifically, the type describes the kinds of proteins, or lack of proteins, that a person has on their red blood cells. Blood Typingīlood type describes the characteristics of blood cells in a particular person. Preventative treatments can reduce the risk of an incompatibility harming the fetus or newborn. It is easy to check for blood types in the mother and baby after birth and for the possibility of Rh incompatibility during pregnancy. When a mother and her developing fetus have incompatible blood types, it can lead to disease in the baby, and potentially to severe jaundice that may cause the brain damage that can then cause cerebral palsy. Sources of information for the article are listed at the bottom.įor any content issues please Contact Us.īlood type is used to describe the proteins, or the absence of proteins, on blood cells, and although it may seem completely unrelated, blood type can actually be a risk factor for cerebral palsy in certain scenarios.

This article has been fact checked by a Board Certified Pediatrician.

Injection for b negative blood type in pregnancy