RH Negative Question

LydsieMarie7

I have a question about the RH incompatibility thing. I am B- and Hubs is AB, though we don't know if he is positive or negative because in general they don't tell that here in China. I'm guessing we need to find that out to know if I'm at risk for Rh incompatibility in the next go around. 

 

For those who have had this experience, how early does one need to get the RhoGAM shot before TTC? Or do you get the shot after conception?

 

 

I feel like the annoying little sister with all the questions I want to ask, but Hubs and I live in China and they are notorious for either:

A) not knowing but not being willing to say so

not offering any extra info or being rude when you ask

C) having some silly traditional way of dealing with things (I should write a post about all the things I have been told to do recently...ridiculous!)

kr_ry

You don't need the rh shot before ttc. They give you the shot if you have - blood type while you are pg and then again after the birth. In my case they gave me the shot after my d and c just as a precaution. I hope this helps.

LydsieMarie7

kryan108:

You don't need the rh shot before ttc. They give you the shot if you have - blood type while you are pg and then again after the birth. In my case they gave me the shot after my d and c just as a precaution. I hope this helps.

 

Does that include after a loss? I read that after a loss they give the shot within 72 hours but that time for me has already passed. I'm nervous to start TTC again since I didn't get the shot already.  

Mrs.E.07

Lydiatait7:

kryan108:

You don't need the rh shot before ttc. They give you the shot if you have - blood type while you are pg and then again after the birth. In my case they gave me the shot after my d and c just as a precaution. I hope this helps.

 

Does that include after a loss? I read that after a loss they give the shot within 72 hours but that time for me has already passed. I'm nervous to start TTC again since I didn't get the shot already.  

I think it depends on the loss. You should really call your doctor, this is important! But otherwise, yes, you just get it while you're pregnant and again after delivery.

buckeyebaby814

From my understanding, you're supposed to get it after a loss as well.  I would call your doctor

PinkCamino

I'm Rhesus negative and I was given a rhogam shot the day after my loss. I would call your doctor.

MyFirstRaspberry

I was given the RhoGAM shot while in the recovery room after my D&C. My doctor did not give me a lot of information about it besides a little brochure. I did some research on the American Pregnancy Association website, which says

"Rh-negative women should also receive treatment after any miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or induced abortion to prevent any chance of the woman developing antibodies that would attack a future Rh-positive baby."

and by treatment they mean "An injection or Rh immunoglobulin (RhIg), a blood product that can prevent sensitization of an Rh-negative mother."

My next question is how long is the shot effective? If I don't get preggo within the next 6 months, should I get another shot to extend the effectiveness?

 

PinkCamino

MyFirstRaspberry:

I was given the RhoGAM shot while in the recovery room after my D&C. My doctor did not give me a lot of information about it besides a little brochure. I did some research on the American Pregnancy Association website, which says

"Rh-negative women should also receive treatment after any miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or induced abortion to prevent any chance of the woman developing antibodies that would attack a future Rh-positive baby."

and by treatment they mean "An injection or Rh immunoglobulin (RhIg), a blood product that can prevent sensitization of an Rh-negative mother."

My next question is how long is the shot effective? If I don't get preggo within the next 6 months, should I get another shot to extend the effectiveness?

 

This is a good question.

I asked my doctor and was told that I would get another Rhogam shot during my next pregnancy.

LydsieMarie7

I did some reading and seems like the RhoGAM shot is needed only when blood has mixed or has the potential to mix. So from what I understand, if the m/c happened before the heart beat began, there is little to no chance of blood mixing (my case).

 

@myfirstraspberry: So I don't think you would need to get a RhoGAM "booster" until the recommended 28 weeks.  

 

Is that right?  

bunnybun4

This is a good question and I have been wondering about it myself.

I got one when i was 5-6 weeks pregnant because I was bleeding.  So you are supposed to get one if ANY type of bleeding is happening.  I also got one after my D & E at 19 weeks.  If I hadn't of bled early and had've carried the pregnancy I I would have gotten one in my third trimester I guess.

My question is now (sorry to jump your thread) should you automatically get one next time you are pregnant if you have implantation bleeding?  since there is blood present?  I swear I will worry about anything I can think to worry about.

As for your husband, mine never got tested either...I think it is VERY rare for them to be negative as well. HTH!

LydsieMarie7

I just emailed my doctor back in the states. She also happens to be rh neg with a rh pos SO. I will post her reply when I get it!

Adam2010

I am RH negative and have gotten a Rhogam shot after every loss. You also get the shot when you have any bleeding during pregnancy if you are far enough along bc your blood could mix with the baby's blood. Since my losses were early (5weeks) the OB told me that I did not need it bc I was not far enough along but I fought to get one bc I am a worry wart. 

Then again, I would find out if your SO is negative or not. I just found out this summer ( through our RE) that DH is negative and I NEVER needed a single shot!!!!! This might help ease your mind as I know it did mine when I found out that it was not a possibility for the RH neg to be a factor in my losses. I would def discuss all of this with your dr first though. HTH.  

LydsieMarie7

I got an e-mail back from my Doctor in the States. She said to go ahead and get the RhoGAM shot now (even though it has been almost a week) because they have changed their procedures a bit. My Doc was also RH neg with an RH pos DH, and when she was having kids they wouldn't do anything if you were pre-8 weeks. And that's what WebMD will tell you. 

 

But my Doc wants me to see if I can get the shot anyway, because now they do it in all cases. But in China it's apparently not common for them to have RH negative blood...so we may have to get a shot shipped from Canada?? Bleh, so much trouble to live overseas...sometimes it makes me just want to go back to the US! 

LydsieMarie7

Just got a call back from my Chinese doc...not surprised...they don't DO the RhoGAM shots in China at all. Only in Hong Kong. Frustrated beyond belief. I hate that I have to be here and be able to do NOTHING about something that would be so EASY to take care of in the US. 

 

Hubs...can we move back to America????? 

MyFirstRaspberry

Lydiatait7 I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty with getting the RhoGAM shot. I used to live overseas as well (although it was England, so nothing like China). I don't know your circumstances but is there any possibility for you to get onto a US military base and consult with those doctors? Do you have any plans in the near future to visit the US? Do you know whether your husband is RH neg as well? If so, then you don't have an issue.

Sorry about your situation. I hope you are able to get the shot and the care you need.

LydsieMarie7

MyFirstRaspberry:

Lydiatait7 I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty with getting the RhoGAM shot. I used to live overseas as well (although it was England, so nothing like China). I don't know your circumstances but is there any possibility for you to get onto a US military base and consult with those doctors? Do you have any plans in the near future to visit the US? Do you know whether your husband is RH neg as well? If so, then you don't have an issue.

Sorry about your situation. I hope you are able to get the shot and the care you need.

 

Thanks for your kind words and your suggestion! I'm looking into nearby bases as well. We could go to Hong Kong to get the shot, but our passports are being processed right now, so we have to wait at least a week. We will actually be in the US for Hubs' brother's wedding in about 3 weeks, but my US doc really wanted us to get the shot before hand. Hubs' blood type is AB something...but AB negative is the most rare, so it's really unlikely that he is AB neg. 

 

Poor Hubs. I've been super flipping out all day and he's trying so hard to be sweet. lol