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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask whether blood groups can change?

29 replies

Lmmontgomery · 28/07/2018 19:06

When my son was born we were told he was A negative. He's now 20 and has just found out he's A positive.

Is it possible that his blood group has changed and he's developed the rhesus protein after not being born with it, or must the hospital have made a mistake?

OP posts:

superram · 28/07/2018 19:08

Are you + or -? Did you have the rhesus injection after having him?

NewYearNewMe18 · 28/07/2018 19:09

You acquire various antibodies as you progress through life, but your blood group cannot change.

gamerchick · 28/07/2018 19:09

Did you get the anti d when you had him or are you also positive?

Original poster

Lmmontgomery · 28/07/2018 19:11

I'm rhesus negative. I took anti d throughout the pregnancy, but after he was born they said I didn't need another dose as he was rhesus negative too.

OP posts:

Kpo58 · 28/07/2018 19:13

I assume it's possible, but rare. If it couldn't happen, then they wouldn't check your blood group every pregnancy.

Borttagen · 28/07/2018 19:14

Did he find out he was A positive through being a blood donor?

Both my sister and I are O negative for receiving blood and O positive for donating as we have partial D - we are neither fully Rhesus positive nor fully negative. So we can only receive rhesus negative blood but we can only donate to positive people as we have part of the antigen.

I would suspect that there is something similar going on with your son.

ItsHot · 28/07/2018 19:16

That’s very odd. I’d get him to have another test done.

Borttagen · 28/07/2018 19:16

The blood group itself is separate to the rhesus antigen by the way. Have a read about partial D if it was through donating that he was told he was positive.

Marmite27 · 28/07/2018 19:17

Kpo, the reason they check bloods in subsequent pregnancies is to check on antibodies, blood borne diseases and other conditions.

I’m really glad they do as that’s how my kell antibodies were picked up.

Original poster

Lmmontgomery · 28/07/2018 19:19

Yes, Borttagen - it was through donating blood that he was told he was A positive.

OP posts:

Hoovermanoevre · 28/07/2018 19:19

Watching With interest...
I read once that detection/microscopic methods have improved, so mistakes could have been made in the past. Also I'm sure I read that people with lupus can change blood type? This could be totally wrong though.

Borttagen · 28/07/2018 19:24

I would suspect then that he has partial D - my sister and I had the opposite experience, we both were told during pregnancy that we were O negative despite having donated for years as O positive.

They test differently for receiving and donating blood and as an infant he would have been tested as a recipient rather than a donor as far as I know.

NewElthamMum13 · 28/07/2018 19:28

Yes, rhesus status can change. This is due to the tests to detect rhesus protein becoming more sensitive, so eg somebody who is heterozygous for Rh+ might not produce very much rhesus protein. It may not have shown up on an earlier, less sensitive test, but then can become apparent with more modern tests.

I came across this when I used to work with midwives as some women test Rh - ve on one pregnancy and Rh +ve on another. It's sometimes called "Rhesus variant" but there are different versions. I'll see if I can find a reader - friendly article.

NewElthamMum13 · 28/07/2018 19:31

Just spotted that @Borttagen has mentioned this too. The two main causes are "Weak D" and "Partial D", and I think the term I used, 'Rhesus variant', is an older, less precise term to cover both. This article is quite technical but explains it well.

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 28/07/2018 19:32

I guessed this was going to be about rhesus factor from the title.

This is beyond my ability to explain well, but some rhesus+ people produce such low levels of rhesus antigen that it may not be detected by a blood type test, and they will be initially identified as RH negative.

This is actually why hospital staff prefer to administer Anti-D to any pregnant woman who is Rh negative, even if the father has previously tested as Rh negative. A father who screens as Rh- may be actually RH very low levels of positive antigen and his genes may lead to a baby who is Rh positive.

altiara · 28/07/2018 19:41

Borttagen you’re not O- for receiving blood, it’s just O- is the universal donor so everyone can have that blood irrelevant of blood type. Your blood O+ can be given to all blood types that are rh+.
Never heard of this scenario OP, very interesting!

NotSureThisIsWhatIWant · 28/07/2018 19:46

I grew up thinking I was O Negative, I found during pregnancy that I am B positive.

I think my hospital notes, when I was a child, were wrong, as the midwife asked for the blood test to be repeated when I mentioned this and it came again as A positive.

igglepigglenotsoniggle · 28/07/2018 19:53

@altiara - Borttagen is O- for receiving blood, as it is the only blood group that they can receive. They can't receive any other blood type, so it can be referred to as "O- for receiving, O+ for donating".

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 28/07/2018 19:55

This happened to me - I used to be AO(treat as negative) but am now AO+. I presume it is what *NewElthamMum" explained better than I could - an improvement in the testing specificity.

My Dad has the same blood, which he was told long ago by the Irish blood service was known as PosNeg, in that his blood could only be given to Rh+ patients, but he himself should receive Rh- blood.

rubyjude · 28/07/2018 19:57

I was told once by a midwife that it's happened in the past where a patient has been given a hefty blood transfusion due to whatever reason and that has changed it?

TangelasVine · 28/07/2018 19:59

I have an unusual antibody thing going on after a blood transfusion and am now negative on some of the antibodies. I have to carry a card with it on.
As far as I know the ABO part can't change though.

LimaHotel4 · 28/07/2018 20:02

I know it is certainly possible in certain circumstances, but I would imagine that it is very rare. I had a Stem Cell/Bone Marrow transplant last year and received cells from a donor, who had a different blood group to me. My blood group has changed to his blood group - interestingly, the change wasn’t instantaneus when I had the transplant. Interestingly, blood group isn’t a factor in finding a suitable stem cell donor.

Original poster

Lmmontgomery · 28/07/2018 20:11

He hasn't had a blood transfusion or transplant of any sort.

The 'partial d' thing Bortogen mentioned seems like it could explain it. It certainly fits!

OP posts:

LimaHotel4 · 28/07/2018 20:14

I’d agree with that - in fact, I’m sure that my consultant mentioned it as a factor that increased the chance of it happening in my case.

Bloodinthehood · 28/07/2018 20:14

Yes... Name changed for this ..,
This happened to me. I was a very unwell baby at birth requiring frequent blood tests. Hospital notes all stated 0-. Had baby in twenties, frequent blood tests, many blood tests since . I am now A + too.
Weird, but health profs all agree, paperwork error?

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