Do you have that blood type? This is a potential problem if you are trying for a baby

A serological conflict (haemolytic disease) arises e.g. when in a person’s body Rh- blood mixes with Rh + blood. We can deal with such a situation, for example, during a transfusion, but also most often in the second pregnancy, when the mother has the blood factor Rh- and her first child was Rh +. This is dangerous because it can even damage a child’s brain.

1. Serological conflict is very rare and affects 2-3 out of 1000 pregnant women. In recent years, this problem affects fewer and fewer families
2. A conflict occurs when a Rh negative woman expects a child with a Rh positive man and the father inherits his Rh
3. In this case, when the blood of the fetus enters the mother’s bloodstream, which is extremely rare, or it occurs during labor, the mother produces antibodies that attack, among others, baby red blood cells
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage

Serological conflict – the most important information

A serological conflict can make a child sick. It depends not only on the mother’s blood, but also the father’s blood type. According to the rules of genetics, if both of them are Rh- (lacking the D antigen) there is no problem at all. However, if the mother is Rh- and the father is Rh + (D antigen), it is not known what blood the first child will have. He may inherit, for example, the D antigen from the father. Then during childbirth, when the mother’s blood mixes with the mother’s blood, it prevents the D antigen from fighting the D antigen. In subsequent pregnancies it is of great importance. Parents must be aware of this, because antibodies (IgG) can, among others, wipe out the baby’s red blood cells and can damage the baby’s brain.

The rest of the text below the video material.

Serological conflict in pregnancy

A serological conflict causes a haemolytic disease in a child in three forms:

1. anemia due to the wasting of the child’s red blood cells
2. jaundice in the first XNUMX hours of life, which may lead to brain damage and, consequently, to mental disorders, epilepsy, speech defects
3. fetal generalized swelling that results in circulatory problems reduces the permeability of the blood vessels and this can lead to life-threatening swelling.

Serological conflict – how to avoid it

The most important thing is awareness. A pregnant woman is under the close supervision of a gynecologist. If he has the blood group Rh- then everything is done to prevent the production of antibodies in the first pregnancy. The risk is minimized by administration of pregnant immunoglobulins at 28 weeks of gestation and no later than 72 hours after delivery. It is a substance that destroys the baby’s red blood cells that have entered the mother’s blood. In this way, the production of antibodies in the mother’s body is prevented and the risk of a serological conflict in the next pregnancy is minimized. If it does occur, an intrauterine transfusion is performed in the pregnant woman to get rid of the antibodies.

Blood groups

Blood is divided into four groups: A, B, AB and 0. These symbols hide specific antigens, i.e. proteins that cover the surface of red blood cells. In addition, the blood may have the D antigen. Then the person’s blood is marked as positive (Rh +). If it does not, then it has the Rh- factor. This applies to about 14 percent. people in the world. The Rh factor was identified by the Viennese researcher Karl Landstainer in rhesus (Latin rhesus), a species of macaque. Hence the name.

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