Amniocentesis for RH Neg? Nooo way buddy!!!

Hey girls,

Just thought i'd share.
Someone I know fount out that i'm RH Neg. Anyway she proceeded to tell me that for my next bub they may want to do an Amnio to find out if bub is pos or neg. I told her no way will they be getting anywhere near me with that needle.
I was thinking about this after and never have I heard this being done to check for RH Neg or Pos. Wouldn't it cause a risk of a neg bubs blood mixing with mine? Doesn't amnio test the amniotic fluid for chromosomal abnormalities?
Have you heard of this being done? It just sounded crazy to me! I have not developed antibodies as yet and so long as i continue to have my Anti D I should be fine, right?
And I thought once a person developed antibodies there is not much they can do except monitor the pregnancy more closely.

Thoughts?

I have never heard of this, but it does sound like the sort of action that would actually increase your risk of maternal and fetal blood mixing. All sounds very dodgy, I wonder if your friend just misunderstood someone else talking about why they had an amnio? Off to google this anyway in case I am completely wrong.

ETA well the first google site I came across was all about using amniocentesis to check RH status of the baby. It is an American site though, so I wonder if it is something more common there.

Yes ridiculous.

It didn't sit right with me at all, I've become an avid researcher of all things preg related and when i'm not sure I come to you girls for advice. Also she's a nurse.

Let me know if you find anything traveller :)

It seems to be mentioned only in American websites. In Australian ones, amniocentesis is considered a risk factor for RH negative women, rather than a diagnostic tool.

She might be confused with the procedure they do to check if bub is aneamic caused from a certain antibodies RH neg women are at risk of if they have not had anti-d in the past and have made antibodies from exposure. You test positive for this when antibodies are tested early in pregnancy. It can be neccessary to do a transfusion on bub prior to birth but this is extremely rare maybe thats what she is calling an amniocentesis. I'd have ask the specific antibody from an Ob at work. It use to be a reason why lots of RH negative women had stillbirths in the dark ages before anti-D was given.

I'd have to go ask as in 5years of midwifery I have only seen it once and the mummy was transferred to a large Sydney hospital for this to be done so we didn't follow her through from her transfer from us. I know it was successful but I don't think bubs Hb (haemoglobin) was tested from the amniotic fluid.

double

oh lordy - she must have something mixed up.

I am RH neg, have 3 children and got a shot before DD2 was born. I can't even remember it being an issue for the first two. Bad memory maybe, but it was never a huge issue. Anti-d was the answer.

I've heard of this test being done in the hossie I used to work at, but it is not to test the bub's blood group. If mum's antibodies test postive, they are tested very regularly and if they are found to be increasing, they like to take a sample of the amniotic fluid to test bub's bilirubin levels. If neccessary they will then take a sample of blood from the umbilical cord to test the heamoglobin (as anti-D antibodies destroy bub's red blood cells), and if it is low enough they will transfuse bub. I have looked after babies that have had this done multiple times during pregnancy. But it is not common.

I wouldn't have thought amnio, but there's a needle they'll give you just before/ or just after birth.
Your doctor will know all about it. hth xx

Thanks ladies,
That's what I thought, I've had plenty of anti d shots & had a BT before I fell Preg with this bub that showed I hadn't developed antibodies so all should be fine.
She sometimes says things to scare me I think.

Just wanted to let you know I have 3 boys and only had the Anti D with all of them. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage so I had the Anti D after that and then with each pregnancy first one at 28 weeks and next Anti D injection around 34 weeks from memory.

On a side note all my boys are o- themselves so turns out I probably didn't need them as both DH and I are o-.

Ahh ok yea my DH is pos so there's a chance bub could be pos too, have had my first shot for this Preg & ob did mention one @ 34 weeks and I assume there will be one @ birth too.

Babyluv where I work they take cordblood at birth and wait for the results and if bub is negative you wont need the anti-D shot until next pregnancy. If positive however they will give you one.

Megs if your DH is negative also all your bubs will be negative and you don't need it. I know a few who haven't had it for that reason and others who know their DHs are and have it anyway as if your not allergic to it its not going to cause any harm anyway.

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It just sounded crazy to me!


I have not developed antibodies as yet and so long as i continue to have my Anti D I should be fine, right?


And I thought once a person developed antibodies there is not much they can do except monitor the pregnancy more closely.

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I have had 6 pregnancies now and that has never been an issue. Including a MC that needed 2x D&Cs and a RUPTURED Ectopic... Crazy!

I just got stuck with anti-D a lot. My partner is A+. Funnily enough, both our kids are A-. Its a pretty minor thing in the grand scheme of things.