


HDFN is sometimes very mild but can still cause jaundice. This can cause babies to have a condition called haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) – also known as “Rhesus disease”.

This can affect future pregnancies because the antibodies now present in your blood can cross the placenta and attack the blood cells of an RhD positive baby. Once sensitisation has occurred it is irreversible. An event that could cause an FMH where you produce antibodies against the D antigen is called a ‘potentially sensitising event’. It can also occur following an episode of vaginal bleeding or an injury to your bump. However, it can happen at other times in pregnancy, for example during a miscarriage or abortion, or following a medical procedure such as amniocentesis. The most common time when your baby’s blood cells may enter your bloodstream is at the time of birth. This is known as sensitisation or “alloimmunisation” and it depends on how big the volume of FMH is and the level of your immune response to this. Should a large enough amount of blood cells from an RhD positive baby enter your blood, you will react to the D antigen in your baby’s blood as though it is a foreign substance and antibodies will be produced against it. Your rhesus status is not a problem if you are RhD positive and your baby is RhD negative.ĭuring pregnancy it is possible that your baby’s blood cells could enter your bloodstream in an event known as a feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH). However, not all babies born to an RhD positive biological father or sperm donor will be RhD positive, because the biological father or sperm donor may have both RhD positive and RhD negative genes. This can only happen if the baby’s biological father or sperm donor is RhD positive. Your rhesus status matters if you are RhD negative and become pregnant with a baby who is RhD positive. There is a useful A-Z of terms at the end of this information sheet. The information in this leaflet is based on current guidance from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). It provides advice on how having this blood type affects your pregnancy, and what tests and treatments are available to you during pregnancy and after the birth of your baby.
#Ab negative blood type origins professional#
The following information is for pregnant women and people who have been advised by their healthcare professional that their blood type is RhD negative. Whether a person is RhD positive or RhD negative is determined by their genes, that is, it is inherited from their parents. People who are RhD negative do not have the rhesus D antigen on their red blood cells. In the UK around 85% of people are RhD positive and 15% RhD negative. Together these are usually shortened, for example to “A positive” or “O negative”. They are also either rhesus (RhD) positive or rhesus (RhD) negative. People can belong to one of four blood groups: A, B, AB & O. Just as every human being is unique, so are the characteristics of your blood.
