Plenitudediary

Rh incompatibility is a condition that occurs during pregnancy if a woman has Rh-negative blood and her baby has Rh-positive blood. When a woman and her unborn baby carry different Rhesus (Rh) protein factors, their condition is called Rh incompatibility. It occurs when a woman is Rh-negative and her baby is Rh-positive. The Rh factor is a specific protein found on the surface of your red blood cells.

However, like your blood type, you inherit your Rh factor type from your parents. Most people are Rh-positive, but a small percentage of people are Rh-negative. This means they lack the Rh protein.

How does Rh factor affect pregnancy?

A positive or negative symbol after your blood type indicates your Rh factor. For example, “blood type: AB+” might be written on your medical record. Your Rh factor doesn’t directly affect your health. However, Rh factor becomes important during pregnancy. If a woman is Rh-negative and her baby is Rh-positive, then the woman’s body will approach the Rh-positive protein as a foreign object, if her immune system is exposed to it.

This means that if blood cells from your baby cross your bloodstream, which can happen during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, your immune system will make antibodies against your baby’s red blood cells.

Antibodies are parts of your body’s immune system. They destroy foreign substances.

If you have an Rh-negative blood type, you’re considered “sensitized” to positive blood types once your body has made these antibodies. This means that your body might send these antibodies across the placenta to attack your baby’s red blood cells. Your placenta is the organ that connects you and your baby.