Rh Immune Globulin

What Does It Mean To Be Rh Negative?

      ● Rh or rhesus factor is a type of protein that is found on the outside of red blood cells. People either are
         Rh positive (they have the protein) or Rh negative (they don’t have the protein).
 
      ● 15% of people are Rh negative.
 
      ● Being Rh negative does not affect one’s general health, but can cause problems in pregnancy.

https://www.pregnancyinfo.ca/your-pregnancy/routine-tests/rh-blood-groups/
 

How does being Rh Negative affect my pregnancy?

      ● People who are Rh negative can make antibodies to the Rh factor, if exposed to Rh positive blood or by
         being pregnant (due to potential leakage of blood from the baby across the placenta).
 
       ● Antibodies are proteins in the blood produced as a reaction to a foreign substance.
 
      ● If an Rh negative person is pregnant with a Rh positive baby and has made Rh antibodies, these antibodies
         cross the placenta and can destroy the baby’s red blood cells. This can result in anemia, jaundice, brain damage,
         and in some cases death of the fetus or newborn. This is called Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn.
 
      ● Once formed, these antibodies do not disappear, and in each subsequent pregnancy, the effect of the fetus is often
         more severe.
 
https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=350&language=English
 
 
What can make me form antibodies to the Rh Factor?
 
      ● If your partner is Rh positive and you are Rh negative, you are at risk of having a Rh positive baby and making
         antibodies against the Rh factor.
 
      ● The following events can cause the formation of these antibodies: miscarriage, therapeutic abortion, pregnancy,
         during the delivery of the baby, amniocentesis, chorionic villous sampling, trauma, and transfusion.
 

What can I do to prevent Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn?

      ● Fortunately, in 99.9% of Rh negative people, this problem can be prevented by giving injections of a blood product
         called Rh Immunoglobulin or WinRho (as it is named in Canada).
 
      ● This product has been in use since 1968 and is given only to Rh negative clients at 28 weeks and at the time of
         delivery, if the baby is found to be Rh positive.
 
      ● This product is also given after a miscarriage, therapeutic abortion, amniocentesis, chorionic villous sampling,
         and sometimes in cases of trauma (such as a car accident while pregnant).
 

What are the risks of this blood product?
 
This is a human blood product. In the past, prior to screening, blood products carried a risk of infection. However,
these products don’t carry the same risk because ALL blood products are now screened for: viruses (including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C and others) The product is also chemically treated to kill
viruses and then undergoes filtration to kill viruses.
 

What would happen if I refused this blood product?

12% of pregnancies would develop antibodies to the Rh factor if the Rh immune globulin isn’t given. After this, the risk
of harm to a growing fetus increases with each subsequent pregnancy.
 

Is there any other way to prevent Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn?

At present, there is no alternative treatment. This treatment is safe and has a 99.9% effectiveness rate.
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