Why is Rh negative during pregnancy dangerous? How to avoid the development of Rh-conflict and preserve the health of the child? By Dr. Komarovsky
Rh-conflict is a pathologically dangerous condition during pregnancy, in which the woman's body “rejects” the unborn child. It is impossible to diagnose it by the well-being of the mother, and only the intake of a specific immunoglobulin can prevent the developmental defects of the baby. When and in what cases do you need to worry, to whom and at what stages of pregnancy is the administration of this drug indicated? Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky told about this on his YouTube channel.
When a mom and a child can have a Rh-conflict
A mother-to-be must know her husband's Rh factor / istockphoto.com
Blood group and Rh factor - everyone should know this information by heart. If everything is more or less clear with the blood group, then about Rh we only know that it happens with a plus or minus sign. From a biological point of view, the Rh factor is a special protein that attaches to the surface of red blood cells in some people. If it is, the blood is considered Rh-positive, if it is not, it is Rh-negative.
What does it matter during pregnancy? If the mother and the fetus have a different Rh factor in the blood, the so-called Rh-conflict may occur. Simply put, the mother's body perceives the baby growing in the womb as a foreign body (for example, a bacterium or a virus) and begins to attack in order to get rid of it.
This usually happens when the expectant mother has a negative Rh factor, and the father, on the contrary, has a positive one. Indeed, in this situation, it is almost impossible to predict which rhesus will get the child. Therefore, the risk of a Rh-conflict between mother and baby is 50:50 here. If the parents have the same Rh factor (it doesn't matter whether it is positive or negative), this cannot happen in principle. And even if mom's Rh is with a plus sign, and dad's is minus, the pregnancy will proceed without problems.
What is the danger of Rh-conflict for a child
Rh-conflict leads to serious fetal abnormalities / istockphoto.com
It is almost impossible to determine the Rh-conflict by the well-being of the expectant mother. The general condition in this case is no different from that of a pregnant woman. All processes take place deep inside the body: the mother's immune system begins to produce specific antibodies. They cross the placenta into the fetal bloodstream and destroy the baby's red blood cells.
According to Evgeny Komarovsky, at best, this process threatens the child with jaundice, because "killed" erythrocytes are excreted through the liver, and it increases dramatically. At worst due to the Rh-conflict, the baby will develop anemia, anemia and oxygen deprivation, which will lead to serious brain damage. Sometimes the attack of the mother's body is so aggressive that it ends with the death of the child in the womb.
How to prevent the development of Rh-conflict
A shot of Rh-immunoglobulin can keep your baby healthy / istockphoto.com
According to Evgeny Komarovsky, the best way to protect yourself and your unborn child is through prevention. If the mother knows about her negative and father's positive Rh factor, this is a direct indication for taking the anti-Rh-immunoglobulin preparation. It is prescribed in a dosage of 300 mcg from 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy, as well as within 72 hours after childbirth. This is almost one hundred percent guarantee that the baby will be born healthy.
Komarovsky emphasizes that such prevention of Rh-conflict has long become a common practice abroad. Yes, and in our country there is plenty of Rh-immunoglobulin. Moreover, at the request of a doctor, it is provided to a pregnant woman absolutely free of charge. The main obstacle is human prejudice, because of which many women see the introduction of this drug as something akin to a vaccine.
In fact, this is the only effective way to prevent the development of Rh-conflict and reduce the risks for the unborn child. However, first you should make sure that you really need it. To do this, you need to find out the Rh factor of the fetus: today this service is provided by many clinics in Ukraine. This can be done already at the 9th week of pregnancy, the diagnosis is carried out by analyzing the mother's blood. If the analysis showed that the child's Rh is negative, there is no reason for the Rh conflict, and the intake of immunoglobulin is not needed. Only in the case of a positive Rh factor in the fetus, you are indicated for Rh-immunoglobulin therapy.
You will also be interested to read:
Blood group compatibility: what to consider when conceiving a child
Rh-conflict between mother and child: common consequences
