You may have wondered what is that about blood groups, and what influence it has on getting pregnant or on one's own baby health. Well, we will take advantage of the fact that today is the Blood Donor Day to solve your doubts.
To begin we will tell you that one thing is the group A, B, AB or O (not zero, as said before). These are the type of proteins that are or can be on the surface of red blood cells, they are antigens. And another question is the Rh factor, which can be positive or negative.
Types of blood groups and Rh
We explain in a simple way what types of blood groups exist and why they are classified this way. Antigens, the proteins in red blood cells, induce the formation of antibodies, the immune system recognizes them as a threat. Therefore, if you are from group A, it contains the A antigen, the B the B antigen, the AB both and the O (zero) has no antigens. So that your blood does not "mix" with another is why it has antibodies against the opposite antigens. Therefore, he who does not have, can donate blood to all.
And now let's talk about the Rh. The Rh factor is a protein in some red blood cells. Most people have this protein, they are Rh positive, but there are others who do not, they are Rh negative. It is the factor Rh the one that plays an important role in the health of the baby. That is why it is essential that from the beginning of pregnancy you know your blood type and that of the father.
If the father or mother has the same Rh, either negative or positive there is compatibility, but if not, Rh incompatibility occurs. The group itself does not matter, if it is A, B, AB or O, the important thing is the Rh factor. This incompatibility is not usually a problem in the first pregnancy, but more care must be taken in subsequent ones.
Consequences of Rh incompatibility in pregnancy
In the first pregnancy there are usually no problems at the time it develops. An Rh negative mother, and an Rh positive father, have a chance that their child is positive or negative.
If fetus is negative and the mother too there is no risk neither for him, nor for the mother; but if it is positive, it can happen that the blood of the fetus and the mother mix. This does not normally occur in pregnancy, but it does occur at the time of delivery. Then, from that minute on, the mother's blood will detect the baby's Rh +, as a threat, and will generate antibodies against it.
In the next pregnancy, If the baby is positive, the mother will detect these cells as "enemies" and will attack them for containing the Rh positive proteins of this blood group. This situation can lead to miscarriage, termination of pregnancy before the fetus is viable, or fetal death in utero.
How can Rh incompatibility be treated?
The first is know the blood groups of the father and mother. If it is your second or another pregnancy, and you are Rh negative, remember the group of the previous parents, or notify if you have had previous abortions.
Your doctor, if he sees a risk of incompatibility due to the types of blood groups, will administer two injections of Rh immune globulin. The first injection is usually given around the 28th week, and the second 72 hours before giving birth, or at the time of delivery. These injections work like a vaccine.
If you are pregnant, you are Rh negative, and you want to know if you are sensitized to the Rh factor, you will have to undergo the Indirect Coombs test. If the result is negative, you can normally follow the development of the pregnancy, but if it is positive, the degree of sensitivity will have to be determined, since depending on this it is related to the degree of destruction of the baby's blood. In very rare occasions, under current circumstances the baby receives blood transfusions. These special transfusions can be done before birth, intrauterine fetal transfusions, or after delivery.