Rhesus D and New Pregnancy

[Jen2104]

Hi all,

Seeking advice : I am Rhesus negative and my husband is rhesus positive. had a miscarriage in Feb of this year. I had the injection to protect against it just after the miscarriage although it isn't clear if this is what caused the miscarriage.

I have just found out I am pregnant again and I am currently working abroad and my access to good medical advice (in English!) is limited. Basically, I need to know if this injection I had earlier this year provides 'life-long' protection or if this is something I need to get sorted again ASAP.

Hoping someone can help!

Thanks in advance

J

You shouldn't need the anti D injection unless you bleed or until 28 weeks. They would have given it to you after the miscarriage to prevent your body building up any antibodies to affect future pregnancies. I had another one after giving birth for this same reason.

Hope everything works out for you with this pregnancy :)

As pp said, if you have any bleeding you need an anti-d injection and then the midwives give you another anti-d injection at 28 weeks.
They check cord blood after the baby is born and if baby is negative, you don't need another injection, but if baby is positive then you do.
Booking in bloods check if you have any antibodies in your blood and if you do, your blood gets monitored to check levels.

If it was your first pregnancy that you miscarried, it shouldn't have been down to you being rh negative, it's generally subsequent pregnancies that can be at risk IF the baby is positive AND you have developed antibodies from some rh +ve blood entering your bloodstream (as can happen at delivery/if you have a knock/at miscarriage).

As your husband is +ve, you could be carrying a +ve or -ve baby, and the baby's blood is tested at birth to see if you need a further anti-d injection.

During pregnancy you have anti-d twice, I seem to remember, but couldn't say when they are, quite late on I think.

The other posters are correct - you will not need another anti-d injection until 28 weeks.

The exception would be if you start to bleed or if you have any trauma to the bumps (i.e. a knock or a fall). In this scenario the hospital will run blood tests to determine whether or not you need the injection sooner (I fell down the stairs earlier in this pregnancy and had to have the blood tests but didn't need the injection until 28 weeks).

I'm rhesus negative and hubs is positive - currently 27 +3 with our first and due to have my anti-D at week 28.

The only other time it was given was when I had a small bleed a few weeks back, that was a precautionary shot that would take my until my 28 week biggy.

Soooo in answer to your question, I wasn't given anti-D at all at the beginning.

Briefly, no. The anti D injection does NOT provide "life long" protection. The effects last six weeks.

You will need to let the doctors know that you are Rh. negative, and that you had an injection after a miscarriage.

They will probably give you a blood test to see whether the anti bodies are present in your blood. If they are, then there is nothing they can do, so you won't have the injection (in this scenario, your previous anti D injection was given too late/didn't work for some reason. It's unlikely). If you don't have the antibodies, then they will give you an anti D injection if you have any bleeding, or at some point during your pregnancy, and definitely after the birth (if baby is rh positive).

They won't however, give you an anti d injection straight off the bat for no reason.

However, the approach varies in different countries, so you will need to check the policy wherever you are.

You have my sympathy. I'm also Rh negative, and it's a bitch.

I'm Rh neg too and currently 37+1 (it's a total bitch in this heat!) You will only need your anti d at 28 weeks then after delivery, as pp have said. The only thing you must watch out for is any knocks, trips, falls etc that could cause trauma to bump and make you internally bleed. I personally would not wait until you see blood to get checked out (I had a mc so am perhaps a bit more anxious/precious/OTT than others who haven't gone through it would be). A phone call to your assessment centre or mw and being checked out is far better than other outcomes....

Also, not sure if you meant this but your blood type will defo not have been the cause of miscarriage. It's such a sad and horrific thing to go through and I will forever be emotionally scarred by mine but honestly, there's nothing that can prevent it from happening. Some little babies are just not quite wired correctly for this earth. Good luck with this pregnancy and I hope you get your cuddles with your beautiful rainbow baby next year xx