Who Is At Risk for Rh Incompatibility?
An Rh-negative woman who conceives a child with an Rh-positive man is at risk for Rh incompatibility. Rh factor is inherited (passed from parents to children through the genes). If you’re Rh-negative and the father of your baby is Rh-positive, there’s a 50 percent or more chance that the baby will have Rh-positive blood. Simple blood tests can show whether you and the father of your baby are Rh-positive or Rh-negative. If you’re Rh-negative, your risk for problems from Rh incompatibility is higher if you were exposed to Rh-positive blood before the pregnancy. This may have happened during: • An earlier pregnancy (usually during delivery) • A miscarriage • An induced abortion • A blood transfusion • Bleeding during pregnancy Certain tests also can expose you to Rh-positive blood. Examples include amniocentesis (AM-ne-o-sen-TE-sis) and chorionic villus (ko-re-ON-ik VIL-us) sampling (CVS). Amniocentesis is a test that may be done during pregnancy. Your doctor uses a needle to remove a sma
