Does anyone know why?

Question

I was at the doctor today for my 16 week appointment and he said that because I have A negative blood i will have to have a shot at 28 weeks. I was going to ask why but we got distracted. Anyone know what this is all about?

Im not really concerned I know he would tell me if it was something I should worry about. Just curios.

Answer 1

The shot is called Rho-gam. Woman with Rh-negative blood types need it mid way through the pregnancy about 28 wks. Rho-Gam puts TEMPORARY RH-factor anti- bodies in the mother's blood so her body doesn't product its own. You'll need a shot after the baby is born too. No big deal honey this has been going on since the mid 60's and its very common.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Scientists sometimes study Rhesus monkeys to learn more about the human anatomy because there are certain similarities between the two species. While studying Rhesus monkeys, a certain blood protein was discovered. This protein is also present in the blood of some people. Other people, however, do not have the protein. The presence of the protein, or lack of it, is referred to as the Rh (for Rhesus) factor.

If your blood does contain the protein, your blood is said to be Rh positive (Rh+). If your blood does not contain the protein, your blood is said to be Rh negative (Rh-).

This Rh factor is connected to your blood type. For example, your blood may be AB+ which means that you have type AB blood with a positive Rh factor. Or, you might have O- blood which means that you have type O blood with a negative Rh factor.

It is particularly important for expectant mothers to know their blood's Rh factor. Occasionally, a baby will inherit an Rh positive blood type from its father while the mother has an Rh negative blood type.

Answer 4

it's called a rhogam shot. people with negative blood get them around 28 weeks and you will get one after you give birth also. the reason they give it to you is because if the baby has positive blood, your body can build up antibodies because it thinks that the baby is an intruder in your body. these antibodies can cause some serious complications for later pregnancies. nothing to worry about. it's a shot in the butt and it takes care of it all.

Answer 5

I don't know too much about it, but it has to do with the RH negative or positive factor. This happened to my mom when she was pregnant with my older sister. Now that I am pregnant she is worried about me. I am going to ask my doctor about it next appointment. In the meantime look it up on line or in your pregnancy book if you have one.

Answer 6

It is called a rho gram shot. It is so your body does not try to fight off the fetus and so the blood doesn't mix at birth and cause harm.

Answer 7

Here is what he was talking about:

What does it mean to be Rh-negative?

Being Rh-negative means you don't have a certain protein ("D antigen," or the Rh factor) on the surface of your red blood cells. If you do have it, you're Rh-positive. So the terms Rh-negative and Rh-positive are just ways of further pinpointing what type of blood a person has, beyond the general blood type categories of A, B, AB, and O.

If you're Rh-negative and carrying a baby who is Rh-positive (like the baby’s father), your immune system, which fights off invaders to keep you healthy, will recognize your baby's Rh-positive red blood cells as foreign to your Rh-negative blood and will begin producing antibodies intended to destroy your baby's blood cells. If this is your first pregnancy, chances are everything will be fine. These crusading antibodies usually are not dangerous until subsequent pregnancies, when they've had time to grow in strength and number. This is why you have to worry about the future now. Once the antibodies begin attacking, they can lower a baby's red blood cell count, which can lead to jaundice, anemia, mental retardation, and heart failure. In the most severe cases, it can be fatal in utero (during pregnancy) or shortly after delivery. This condition is known as Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN), and for Rh-negative women, all future pregnancies are at risk. Fortunately, treatment can virtually eliminate the risk.

CAN MY ANTIBODIES HURT MY BABY?
Yes. The antibodies formed to protect you against Rh-positive red blood cells can pass to the baby you are carrying. They attack and destroy the baby’s Rh-positive red blood cells, causing anemia (low red blood cell count), jaundice, and in sever cases, heart failure. This condition is known as hemolytic disease of the newborn, or HDN.

WHO IS RH-NEGATIVE?
Most people are Rh-positive -- 85 to 99 percent. Percentages vary between ethnic/racial groups. For the 1 to 15 percent who are Rh-negative, their blood type causes no special health concerns and becomes important only when they give or receive blood and, most importantly, during pregnancy. When an Rh-negative woman and an Rh-positive man conceive a child, Rh status becomes especially important.


Frequency of being Rh-negative for certain population


Population %Rh-Positive %Rh-Negative
Caucasian 85 15
African-American 92 8
Hispanic 92 8
Asian 99 1
Native American 99 1

Source: Reid ME, Lomas-Francis C. The Blood Group Antigen Facts Book. New York, NY: Academic Press, 1997.
HOW CAN I PROTECT MY BABY?
Helping parents care for their babies with innovative products has been a Johnson & Johnson concern for more than a century. You can protect your baby (and any future babies) by receiving RhoGAM Ultra-Filtered Rho(D) Rh-immune globulin shots, which prevent Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn by keeping your immune system from making antibodies against Rh-positive cells. Once these antibodies develop, treatment with an Rh immune globulin cannot eliminate them. However, the production of Rh antibodies can be PREVENTED by receiving RhoGAM Ultra-Filtered during pregnancy. Your health-care provider will give you a shot at around 28 weeks of pregnancy and again after delivery if your newborn turns out to be Rh-positive (if the baby is Rh-negative, there's no need). You may also receive RhoGAM at other times during pregnancy when it's likely you'll come into contact with your unborn baby's blood, such as during amniocentesis and/or after any injury to the abdomen.

In addition, it's crucial that Rh-negative women receive RhoGAM or MICRhoGAM following a miscarriage or terminated pregnancy. The Rh factor is present on fetal red blood cells at just eight weeks' gestation. So even if a pregnancy ended in the first trimester, the immune system still will have had time to begin making antibodies to Rh-positive cells. Without treatment with RhoGAM following any terminated pregnancy, even a first full-term pregnancy can be dangerously affected.

Answer 8

If your baby has Rh + blood, your blood will develop antigens to it and seek to destroy the baby's blood cells as some of it co-mingles with yours during pregnancy.

Answer 9

i have A - blood too and they gave me one, it doesnt hurt and they give it to you in your hip.

Answer 10

nothing to be concerned about