HWN Suggests

9 things you might not know about anti-D…

Maybe you’re already full of information about anti-D, but as I was writing my anti-D resources series, I started noting a few things down that people are sometimes surprised to discover when I speak about this topic...

1. It’s a blood product…

Actually, most of the people who need to give anti-D or consider whether they want to receive anti-D do know this now, but this has changed in the time since I first became interested in this topic.  Previously, there was a real lack of awareness that anti-D was manufactured from human blood – and pooled blood at that – and this lack of awareness…

read full article

Articles of Interest

Should I Get A RhoGAM Shot?

When I picked up a copy of Anti-D in Midwifery, written by Dr Sara Wickham PhD, RM, MA, PGCert, BA(Hons), I hoped to discover black and white answers to those questions. What I walked away with instead is a deep respect for the choices that Rhesus negative women must make, and the desire to see more (and better) research in this area. In this post I’m going to share what I’ve learned so far – I hope you find it helpful!

A Critical Look at Rhogam and Rhesus Disease

There are a lot concerns that surface when a woman finds out she is expecting. If you happen to be a RhD-Negative mother then you have one more to add to the list. When I was pregnant with both of my daughters I sought out information, and frankly, I was always left feeling like there must be more. I gathered this information in the desire to help other mothers out there understand what it means to be RhD-Negative, what the Rhogam shot is and what it isn’t, and lend my personal experience.

Anti-D administration after spontaneous miscarriage for preventing Rhesus alloimmunisation

There are insufficient data available to evaluate the practice of anti-D administration in an unsensitised Rh-negative mother after spontaneous miscarriage. Thus, until high-quality evidence becomes available, the practice of anti-D Immunoglobulin prophylaxis after spontaneous miscarriage for preventing Rh alloimmunisation cannot be generalised and should be based on the standard practice guidelines of each country.

Anti-D in pregnancy: how we haven’t moved on…

The first Cochrane review of the research relating to the administration of anti-D during pregnancy was undertaken in 1996. Nearly twenty years later, September 2015 saw the publication of the latest update. During that time, however, the only changes have been to the format, as the Cochrane Collaboration has updated their approach to the presentation of information. No relevant new trials have been published, and the reviewers’ conclusions haven’t really changed.

Blood, Fret and Tears

A miscarriage is heartbreaking as well as terrifying, the death of hope, of what might have been. I hope that by writing about the dangers of having negative blood in pregnancy and miscarriage I can help even just one person in the same position get some help and answers.

Dangers of Rhogam in Pregnancy

Important point about RhoGam and that is that the antibodies attack ALL RH positive cells. If mother's blood mixes with the baby's blood, the antibodies will neutralize the baby's blood cells before the mother can create her own antibodies against the baby. The dilemna is that if the mother's and baby's blood does actually mix it is equally likely that the RhoGam antibodies will cross over and attack the baby itself. This happens frequently but isn't discussed by most doctors.

Does antenatal anti-D help the current baby?

Over the past few weeks, a number of people have asked me variations on the same question: does prophylatic anti D offer protection to the baby in a current pregnancy? My understanding is that it does not; that antenatal anti-D is ‘all about the next baby’, although in order to understand why this is the case, we need to start with a bit of immunology…

Rh Incompatibility

A short video going over Rh incompatibilities: Blood transfusion, Fetal Hemolytic Disease, RhoGAM, Autism and ADHD.

Rhogam Anti-D - A review of the evidence

In the US in 1960's, Rh disease caused about 10,000 perinatal deaths each year, plus uncounted miscarriages. It's rare now, but only because of the conscientious use of Rhogam to keep women from becoming sensitized, and the aging of the pre-rhogam women out of their fertile years.

The Rh Factor: How It Can Affect Your Pregnancy

The Rh factor can cause problems if you are Rh negative and your fetus is Rh positive. This is called Rh incompatibility. These problems usually do not occur in a first pregnancy, but they can occur in a later pregnancy.

Resources

Rhogam.com

You’ve recently learned that you are “Rh-negative”, and therefore your baby may be at risk for hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, also known as HDFN. Before hearing the news from your doctor or nurse, no doubt your thoughts were filled with all the joyful anticipations of a new baby: picking out names, planning a nursery, buying infant clothes, and sharing sonogram images with relatives and friends. But now, unfamiliar terms such as Rh factor, antibodies, and HDFN may have you feeling concerned, even scared. Don’t be!

DailyMed

RhoGAM® Ultra-Filtered PLUS - 300 μg (1500 IU)1 – Prefilled Syringes MICRhoGAM® Ultra-Filtered PLUS - 50 μg (250 IU)1 – Prefilled Syringes

FPNotebook

Indications and some references.

NHS

If you're RhD negative, your blood will be checked for the antibodies (known as anti-D antibodies) that destroy RhD positive red blood cells. You may have become exposed to them during pregnancy if your baby has RhD positive blood.

Patient

The development of anti-D antibodies generally results from feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH) occurring in rhesus D (RhD)-negative women who carry an RhD-positive fetus. In later pregnancies, anti-D antibodies can cross the placenta, causing worsening rhesus haemolytic disease with each successive rhesus-positive pregnancy. All RhD-negative pregnant women who do not have immune anti-D, should be offered additional routine prophylaxis with anti-D immunoglobulin (anti-D Ig) during the third trimester of pregnancy.