Anti-Lea Antibodies

Lowes25

Sooo I just had a call from my midwife saying I have Anti-Lea Antibodies in my blood, they said it's nothing to worry about but if I were to need a blood transfusion, they would need to screen the blood before hand etc.

Obviously, even though they said it was nothing to worry about, I started panicking thinking it would affect the baby in a horrible way. Looking on the internet I have received mixed messages, for example:

"Anti-LeA (Anti-Lewis-A) is a blood antibody. Lewis blood group antigens aren't any real danger to you or your baby, this type of antibody doesn't cross the placenta therefore it won't cause Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN), which is the main cause for concern when it comes to blood antibodies and pregnancy"

However, on another site it said this Anti-lea can lead to HDN, so like I said...mixed messages, I was wondering whether anyone has had any experiences with this? Or had any problems because of it...sorry for long post, just a bit concerned.

Sbear4587

I understand your concern, I have anti-ssa antibodies that come and go as they please. I work as a Medical Technician and do blood testing for transfusions and blood typing. The Anti-Lewis A isn't going to cause HDN, I can go into technical terms, but basically it won't cross the placenta. It's good that they know so that they can find blood that will be compatible for you, that is something that the blood banker will do, in the case that you do need a transfusion. I hope that this helps!