How does blood type affect pregnancy?
It’s important for women to find out their blood type at the start of their pregnancy. Blood will be taken to find out, and there are four different types: A, B, AB and O.
In addition to blood type, women can have Rh factor (specifically Rhesus D antigen), which is when proteins appear on the surface of the blood. Women who do have Rh factor are classified as Rh positive (A+, B+, AB+ and O+) and women who don’t are Rh negative (A-, B-, AB- and O).
The blood type and Rh factor of a pregnant woman and the father of her baby can affect what blood type the baby has. It will also influence the antibodies the mother’s body makes as an immune response to foreign matter in her body such as bacteria, sperm and even an embryo.
When an Rh negative woman (5-10 per cent of women) has a
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In any of these situations, the antibodies will have developed as an immune response which can cause the baby to have anaemia and severe jaundice.
With Rh incompatibility, this means whenever the woman is pregnant with an Rh positive baby in the future, antibodies will be produced in higher amounts.
ABO incompatibility does not become more serious with each subsequent pregnancy. However ABO incompatibility can affect a baby until all the antibodies pass out of the baby’s system after they are born.
What’s the treatment? Because a baby’s blood group is usually unknown during pregnancy, all women who are Rhesus negative receive anti-D injections during pregnancy to prevent an onset of Rhesus disease at 28 and 34 weeks. Cord blood is collected at birth to check the baby’s blood group, and if baby is Rhesus positive, another injection is given. These injections are very effective at stopping Rh antibodies developing and making it possible for women to be pregnant again without Rh incompatibility complications. If the baby is Rhesus negative, injections are not