Rh typing is a standard part of a woman's first prenatal visit. Sometimes, though, the results are anything but standard. Anywhere from 2 to 4 percent of women can type as both Rh positive (D+) and Rh negative (D-). This inconsistency then influences how OB-GYNs develop a treatment plan.
Rh status is inherited from our parents, separately from our blood type. If you inherit the dominant Rhesus D antigen from one or both of your parents, then you are Rh-positive (85% of us). If you do not inherit the Rhesus D antigen from either parent, then you are Rh-negative (15% of us).
If a woman who is Rh negative and a man who is Rh positive conceive a baby, the fetus may have Rh-positive blood, inherited from the father. (About half of the children born to an Rh-negative mother and Rh-positive father will be Rh-positive.)
Each person has two Rh factors in their genetics, one from each parent. The only way for someone to have a negative blood type is for both parents to have at least one negative factor. For example, if someone's Rh factors are both positive, it is not possible for his or her child to have a negative blood type.
Rh incompatibility occurs when the mother's blood type is Rh negative and her fetus' blood type is Rh positive. Antibodies from an Rh negative mother may enter the blood stream of her unborn Rh positive infant, damaging the red blood cells (RBCs).
You can inherit one copy of the RhD antigen from your mother or father, a copy from both of them, or none at all. You'll only have RhD negative blood if you don't inherit any copies of the RhD antigen from your parents.
Rh Negative Blood Types:
Rh factors are genetically determined. A baby may have the blood type and Rh factor of either parent, or a combination of both parents. Rh factors follow a common pattern of genetic inheritance.
The Rh factor is a protein that can be found on the surface of red blood cells. If your blood cells have this protein, you are Rh positive. If your blood cells do not have this protein, you are Rh negative.
Rh-negative frequencies of about 29% were documented among Basques and in distinct populations living in the High Atlas Range of Morocco [25], which have the highest reported prevalence of Rh-negative phenotypes apart from that from Saudi Arabia above.
The Rh-negative blood type can pose risks during pregnancy, including increasing the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth in the second or third trimester. Nowadays, women with a negative blood group are preventively given the Rho GAM injection, to reduce the risk involved.
Most of the time, being Rh-negative has no risks. But during pregnancy, being Rh-negative can be a problem if your baby is Rh-positive. If your blood and your baby's blood mix, your body will start to make antibodies that can damage your baby's red blood cells. This is known as Rh sensitization.
Rh-positive mothers do not have to worry, even if the father is Rh negative. Rh blood typing and testing currently are performed routinely at the first visit. If the mother is Rh positive, there is no cause for concern. If, however, the mother is Rh negative, the father should be checked.
Having an Rh negative blood type is not an illness, and it usually does not affect your health. But it can affect pregnancy. Your pregnancy needs special care if you're Rh negative and your baby is Rh positive. That's called Rh incompatibility.
Although Rh positive is the most common blood type, having a Rh-negative typing does not indicate illness and usually doesn't affect your health.
If your red blood cells don't have the protein, you're Rh-negative. Being Rh-positive or Rh-negative doesn't affect your health. But it can affect your baby during pregnancy if you're Rh-negative and your baby is Rh-positive. You can find out if you're Rh-positive or negative with a blood test.
If you're Rh-negative and your antibody screen is negative, your provider will give you Rh immune globulin to prevent antibody formation. You'll typically get this around 28 weeks of pregnancy and then again within 72 hours of delivery if the fetus is Rh-positive.
If the mother is Rh-negative, her immune system treats Rh-positive fetal cells as if they were a foreign substance. The mother's body makes antibodies against the fetal blood cells. These antibodies may cross back through the placenta into the developing baby. They destroy the baby's circulating red blood cells.
If you have Rh negative blood, please donate regularly (at least twice a year) to help maintain our blood stocks and save lives. We encourage everyone who is healthy to make an appointment to donate blood, regardless of your blood group.
Of the eight main blood types, people with Type O have the lowest risk for heart attacks and blood clots in the legs and lungs. This may be because people with other blood types have higher levels of certain clotting factors, which are proteins that cause blood to coagulate (solidify).
Famous Type O personalities: Queen Elizabeth II, John Lennon or Paul Newman.
Brothers and sisters don't always share the same blood type. The genotype of both parents plays a role in defining the blood type. For instance, children of parents with the genotypes AO and BO may have the blood types A, B, AB, or O. Thus, siblings do not necessarily have the same blood type.
Basques were found to have the highest incidence of Rh negative blood of any people in the world, significantly higher than the rest of Europe, even significantly higher than neighboring regions of France and Spain.
Severe cases of mismatched Rh status can lead to diseases such as anemia or brain damage in the baby. In the most severe cases, it can even be fatal. If you are pregnant and discover that your baby has a different Rh status, don't panic. Fortunately, there are injections pregnant women can have to avoid this reaction.
Dad will pass down an Rh positive allele and mom will pass down an Rh negative one. All the kids will have one of each and so will be Rh positive. If dad has one copy of each allele instead, then each child has a 50% chance of being Rh negative.