What special treatment does a sensitized Rh-negative woman need during pregnancy?
The baby’s father can have a blood test to see whether he is Rh-positive or Rh-negative. If the father is Rh-negative, the baby is not at risk of Rh disease, and the pregnant woman does not need any special tests or treatment. If the father is Rh-positive (or if his Rh status is not known), the health care provider usually offers a sensitized pregnant woman a test called amniocentesis to determine whether the baby is Rh-positive or Rh-negative. Even if the father is Rh-positive, he may carry an Rh-negative gene. The baby has a 50-percent chance of inheriting the Rh-negative gene, so he has a 50-percent chance of being Rh-negative. During amniocentesis, the doctor inserts a needle into a woman’s abdomen to withdraw a small amount of amniotic fluid for testing. Amniocentesis poses a very small risk of miscarriage. A new maternal blood test appears to be highly accurate in determining whether the fetus is Rh-positive or negative (5). This blood test was recently introduced in the United S
