ED and blood type issues

[alicesmum]

hey Sandra
it seems like there is little problem with being an egg donor if you are negative. in fact, there may be more problems if you are positive. i did some web research and i found this on the SART website (see http://www.sart.org/Guide_DonorOocyteTherapy.html)

Serious compromise of a baby’s health can occur when an Rh-negative woman is carrying an Rh-positive fetus. With modern obstetrical treatment, such complications are uncommon, but they still exist. There are two ways an Rh-negative woman can have an Rh-positive baby. One is if the father of the baby is Rh positive, and the baby inherited Rh positivity from the father. The other way this can happen is if an Rh-negative woman receives an oocyte from a donor who is Rh positive, and the genetic makeup of the oocyte confers Rh positivity on the resulting fetus. Thus, practically speaking, the main situation in which the blood type of the egg donor can pose increased risk for the recipient is when both the recipient and her husband are Rh negative. In this circumstance, the use of an Rh positive donor would expose the recipient’s fetus to a risk of Rh incompatibility that would not have existed had the woman used her own eggs or received eggs from an Rh negative donor.

Yay!!! I am a very viable egg donor then! :p

[provencein3]

Hi alicesmum

Yes it is okay if you are a Rh- donor. I am Rh-ive and looking for a donor and of course hoping to find someone Rh- (I'm not saying that to approach you).

The issue is generally if the husband is +ive and the baby is +ive and the mother -ive. During birth some of the blood may mix with the mothers and from then on her body will develop antibodies about RH+ive children. They used to be called blue babies. There is now an injection that is given which I thought prevented all that problem but I've since heard that that may not be entirely true though have not followed that up.

so yes you would make a good donor to either/or

[sarahstarfish]

Hey Rach

Wow, good on you - and what a great timeline to find everything out and get it sorted in your head AND find some wonderful recipients.

Re blood types, yes, they just give the injection earlier. Kim, your clinic would have the definitive answer if you are concerned....hate to think bloodtype would even further narrow the field. Sue on AED knows all the ins/outs of blood issues for a chat as well.

Love

Cindy

[sarahstarfish]

Hey Ladies

Will ask someone who has done a lot of research on this particular topic to pop in and share her wisdom. And of course, any other links you find.

Love

Cindy

[provencein3]

quick research.....this was as complicated as I thought it was, but others seem to think otherwise.

The Rhesus factor
A person's Rhesus type is also determined by a pair of genes, each one inherited from one parent. Blood is either Rh-positive or Rh-negative, depending on whether or not certain molecules are present. A person who is Rh-negative will experience a severe immune system reaction if Rh-positive blood gets into their bloodstream. This can happen during childbirth, if an Rh-negative woman gives birth to an Rh-positive baby. If blood cells from the baby travel across the placenta, the woman's immune system will regard the Rh-positive cells as a threat. Specialised white blood cells will make antibodies designed to kill Rh-positive blood cells. If the woman subsequently conceives another Rh-positive baby, her immune system will flood her child with antibodies. These antibodies then destroy the baby's red blood cells. If left untreated, this can result in severe anaemia or even death.

Preventing Rhesus disease
Rhesus disease is now rare, since Rh-negative mothers who give birth to Rh-positive babies are immunised within 72 hours of giving birth. The immuneglobulin preparation works by killing the baby's red blood cells inside the mother's bloodstream before her immune system has time to react.

[provencein3]

Okay this one mentions the blood travelling across during pregnancy. source SA Dept ofHealth

Rh negative blood and Anti D injections

If an Rh negative woman becomes pregnant to an Rh positive man, their baby may be Rh positive or Rh negative.

If the baby is Rh positive, there is a risk that some of its Rh positive blood cells may enter the mother’s bloodstream during the pregnancy or birth.

If this is left untreated, the mother will develop antibodies to the baby's Rh positive blood.

If a mother develops antibodies, these antibodies will cross the placenta and may destroy the baby's red blood cells, in this or in future pregnancies. If not treated these babies may be anaemic, or at risk of brain damage or even die before birth.
An injection of Anti-D can be given to an Rh negative mother, which helps stop her immune system making antibodies to the baby's Rh positive cells.

If you are Rh negative and have not formed antibodies, you will be offered an Anti-D injection at 28 weeks and at 34 weeks of your pregnancy.

You will also be offered an Anti-D injection if you have:

any vaginal bleeding during your pregnancy

a miscarriage
an abortion
a medical procedure such as chorionic villous sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis.
This information is taken from the Flinders Medical Centre pamphlet: Rhesus (Rh) Negative Blood and Pregnancy.

[reAllytee]

There are also a few threads in the pg section talking about negative blood etc.
I am Rh O - & my partner is Rh O + it just meant i had the anti-d injections to help prevent my body making the antibodies one at 28wks another at 34wks & a final after birth if bubs is positive. I ended up having a positive babe so it meant another anti-d shot for me !
There is also a blood test they can do to see whether the mother or surrogate has these antibodies as this is what causes the problem when the blood types pass to each other.
This thread talks about it as well as giving links to previous threads with more info !
http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=15380

Will be slightly different i suppose due to it being an ED but im sure the doctors will go through any of that when the time comes !

God luck ladies :D

[Roxy]

I have a friend who is Rh- and her DH is Rh+ ... she was monitored throughout her pregnancy via blood test for antibodies, and was lucky that she wasnt reacting to the babe, so didnt need any anti-d shots...

From memory, I think the babe was born Rh+.