RHESUS FACTOR: The Importance of Knowing Your RH Status Before You Begin Child-Bearing

RHESUS FACTOR: The Importance of Knowing Your RH Status Before You Begin Child-Bearing

So many people are oblivious of the importance of knowing one’s rhesus status and how it plays a huge role in determining whether a woman can get pregnant and carry it to full term.

What is RH factor defined as?

Rhesus Factor (RH factor) is a protein found in the red blood cells of some persons, that determines whether a person’s blood cell type is negative or positive. That is, if protein is seen in the red blood cell, the person is said to be Rh-positive, and when there’s absence of protein, they are said to be Rh-negative.

How to know a person’s RH factor (status)

A person’s Rh status is determined by their blood type. So, if after running a test and your result comes out as (O+, A+, B+) and the likes, your Rh status is positive. But if the result comes out as (O-, A-, B-) and the likes, your Rh status is negative.

Although the Rhesus Factor does not affect a person’s health, it plays a very important role in a woman’s journey of becoming a mother as the compatibility between the Rh status between mother and her fetus is very crucial in determining whether the pregnancy will be carried to full term without obvious complications or not. As a mother, if there is Rh incompatibility between you and your child, that is, having a negative status (Rh-) as a mother and carrying a fetus with a positive status (R+) it could lead to complications during pregnancy and birth.

At this point, the immune system of the mother produces anti-bodies against the Rh proteins of the fetus, potentially harming the red blood cells of the fetus and that of other future pregnancies as well. It is important to note that Rh factor is inherited, it is passed down from parents to chid(ren)

 

 

A couple where the mother’s rhesus status is negative (Rh-) and that of the father’s is positive (Rh+), there stands a potential risk of Rh incompatibility during pregnancy which can lead to serious complications during pregnancy and child-birth.

This incompatibility is referred to as Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus & Newborn (HDFN) also called Rhesus disease which is a condition where antibodies in a Rh- pregnant woman’s blood, destroys her fetus’ blood cells.

The Rhesus Disease is a very serious health condition that develops when the baby’s Rh+ blood enters its mother’s blood stream during pregnancy or childbirth and her body recognizes the R+ protein as foreign and produces anti-bodies to eliminate it. This can cause serious harm to the fetus.  Sometimes, these antibodies can penetrate into the placenta and attack the fetus’ red blood cells which could lead to anemia, jaundice or other severe complications.

Is there a cure for any RH factor defect?

At this point, you might be wondering if there is anyway to prevent this Rhesus disease, just incase the harm has already been done and a Rh- mother is carrying a Rh- child, the advancement of technology has brought about a preventive measure to ensure the safety of both mother and child during pregnancy and child-birth.

The Rh-disease is prevented through an injection of Anti-D Immunoglobulin during pregnancy, which helps to prevent the mother’s immune system from developing anti-bodies against the fetus’ Rh protein. But, if eventually a baby is born with the Rh disease the treatment may include; blood transfusion or phototherapy light treatment.