Can someone explain a RH Factor to me?!
Question: Can someone tell me, in the simplist terms possible, what an RH Factor is? I have one and I am worried about the effects it might have on my pregnancies and children.
Answers: Can someone tell me, in the simplist terms possible, what an RH Factor is? I have one and I am worried about the effects it might have on my pregnancies and children.
Answer
Rhesus (Rh) factor refers to a specific antigen in the blood. If your blood lacks the Rh antigen, you are Rh-negative. If your blood has the antigen, you are Rh positive. When the mother is Rh negative and the father is Rh positive, the fetus can inherit the Rh factor from the father. This makes the fetus Rh positive as well.
an Rh negative mother may make antibodies to an Rh positive fetus. These antibodies may attack and destroy the fetal red blood cells, leading to hemolytic anemia. However, as long as the mother and her doctor are aware of the blood type, such problems can usually be prevented.
To reduce this risk, an Rh negative pregnant woman receives injections of Rho (D) immune globulin. This protein blocks the recognition of Rh positive cells by the mother's body at the time a pregnant woman is most likely to be exposed to cells from her Rh positive fetus