How to determine the Rh factor of the fetus?

Bearing and giving birth to a child is a very exciting and serious process. During the entire pregnancy, medical specialists (perinatologists, gynecologists) follow a whole list of indicators and assess the factors that characterize the state of health of the mother and the developing baby. One of these indicators is the Rh factor of the fetus.

What is the Rh factor

Under this concept is a special protein located on the surface of red blood cells. Most people (about 85%) have this protein, so they are called Rh-positive. The remaining 15% of the world's population does not have this protein. Such people are considered Rh-negative. In other words, the Rh factor is one of the many immunological characteristics of the blood that does not affect human health.

When is it important?

There are situations when it is necessary to know about your Rh status. First, it is important in the event of a situation where a blood transfusion is required . Secondly, the preparation for an operational intervention also involves awareness of this issue. Thirdly, it is important to know the rhesus-belonging of the fetus when planning the pregnancy and the birth of the child. In this case, the most dangerous situation is when the future mother is Rh-negative, and the developing baby has positive blood. Here, it makes sense to talk about Rh-conflict.

The essence of the "conflict situation"

Imagine that a woman has Rh-negative blood, and the future father is Rh-positive. The probability of conflict development in this case is estimated at 50 to 50. This is quite a lot, so the situation must be under the strict control of specialists.

With this option in future parents the child can inherit the positive Rh factor of the father. Through the placental barrier, red blood cells of the child can get into the mother's blood and will be perceived by her body as strangers, which will give impetus to her immune system to produce antibodies for the destruction of red blood cells of the baby. In severe cases, there is a threat to the life of the child, so an analysis of the Rh factor of the fetus means giving the baby a chance to be born healthy.

Symptomatics

Why do you need to know the Rh factor of your unborn child? Having done all the necessary research, the future mother will either completely eliminate the possibility of the conflict, calm down and will bear a healthy child, or find out about the existing problem and take all necessary measures to give birth to a healthy baby.

However, for an adult woman, all the processes associated with this kind of conflict do not carry any threat or danger and do not have any symptoms. While for the child this situation can have catastrophic consequences.

The terrible signs of having problems with Rh-affiliation give you the opportunity to see the ultrasound of the fetus. Here you will see fluid accumulations in places where it should not be, and puffiness, and a pose that can not be called natural (the Buddha's posture).

The accumulation of large volumes of fluid leads to an increase in the tummy of the child, forcing it to dilute the legs to the sides. When carrying out ultrasound with a high degree of probability, a double contour of the child's head will be visible, which indicates the presence of swelling. The size of the placenta and the diameter of the vein in the umbilical cord do not correspond to the norm.

All these signs indicate the development of a conflict between the mother and baby organisms and should be the motivation for finding out the rhesus belonging of a developing baby in the womb.

Definitions of the Rh factor of the child by maternal blood

Modern medical equipment makes it possible to find out the Rh factor of the fetus already in the first trimester of pregnancy, starting from the 10th week.

The essence of the method is as follows. The future mother takes venous blood. From it, the DNA of a child developing in the womb is allocated. Further, this DNA is examined for the presence of the RhD gene (Rh factor) in it. If in the process of research fragments of the Rh factor are detected, we can assume that the future person is Rh positive. If there are no such fragments in the DNA, then the baby has a negative Rh-accessory.

The timely determination of the fetus rhesus makes it possible to start preventive measures in time, removing the occurrence of Rhesus conflicts at a later date and, as a consequence, minimizing the damage to the health of the child.

This technique is considered non-invasive and does not pose any threat to the life and health of the mother and child. However, until recently, to recognize the Rh factor of the fetus was possible only by conducting a study of villi placenta or taken in utero blood from the baby. These kinds of techniques (amniocentesis, cordocentesis) are considered invasive and only strict medical indications can become the reason for their appointment.

Amniocentesis

If there is a need to clarify the child's condition as accurately as possible, the question arises as to how to determine the Rh factor of the fetus, specialists can offer amniocentesis, which is a puncture of the bladder to take amniotic fluid to conduct studies on the content of bilirubin in them. This indicator accurately characterizes the state of the baby.

However, a woman should know that this procedure is quite dangerous. There is always the possibility of infection in the amniotic fluid. It is also possible leakage of fluid beyond the bladder, the appearance of bleeding. Determining the Rh factor of the fetus by the amniocentesis method can provoke a placental detachment ahead of time.

The procedure can be prescribed in cases where antibodies to the Rh factor are already present in the mother's blood and their content (titer) is 1:16 or this woman already has a child with hemolytic disease of newborns (HDN) in severe form.

Cordocentesis

How to know the Rh factor of the fetus with the help of this technique? The bottom line is that a puncture is made in the umbilical cord, from which blood is taken for research. With the use of this method, the level of bilirubin is established more accurately than with amniocentesis. Blood transfusions to the baby are also done using this method.

Cordocentesis is also quite dangerous and can cause all the complications that are typical for amniocentesis. In addition, it is possible to form a hematoma on the umbilical cord, which in the future can disrupt the normal metabolism between the mother and baby organisms.

Determination of the Rh factor of the fetus with the use of cordocentesis is usually prescribed at the content of antibodies in the proportion of 1:32, the presence of children with HDN or died from the consequences of Rh-conflict.

Is it possible to treat Rh-conflict in pregnant women?

Treatment, of course, is possible. However, the most effective method, which gives the most effective result, is a blood transfusion to the child. The procedure among specialists is considered very risky, but significantly improves the condition of the future person, and with a high degree of probability makes it possible to avoid premature delivery.

Previously, other methods of treatment were popular, which nevertheless did not give an obvious therapeutic effect and were considered little or noneffective. These methods include skin transplantation from the husband of the future mother, plasmapheresis, etc.

In any case, if the Rh factor of the fetus and its mother makes it possible to diagnose Rh-conflict, the most effective option for the successful completion of pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby will be under the supervision of medical specialists and the implementation of all their instructions and appointments.

Rhesus-conflict and delivery

When the question of how to determine the Rh factor of the fetus is resolved, and the presence of a conflict in the mother's body is established, a significant factor in the course of pregnancy is the time factor. Experts say that the earlier this happened, the more serious problems and complications will occur pregnancy.

The reason for this phenomenon is that the effect of Rhesus conflict over time accumulates. Therefore, in the majority of cases, such a pregnancy experts recommend to finish planned premature birth.

Physicians in all accessible ways monitor the state of the child and on the basis of the information received make a decision on whether it is necessary to save a pregnancy or a baby is safer to be born a little earlier. Natural childbirth in such situations is possible only if the child is in a satisfactory condition and there are no other complications. In the process of developing labor, doctors monitor vital signs of the baby's condition and if any complicating factors arise, a decision is made to perform a cesarean section. For this particular problem, this variant of delivery is considered the most sparing.