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Is There Any Relation Between Blood Type And The Ability To Conceive?
Question: i av undergone an abortion since 11 of July 2013 and I am an O negative blood type but did not take the shot, i am afraid of not getting pregnant again. can i still have sex with any blood group type and conceive? i av been trying to get pregnant since last month,and I had set during my ovulation. I am scared
Brief Answer:
The Rh negative shot has nothing to do with infertility
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
I want to first explain what the shot you received is so you can understand what the consequences can be for future pregnancy. Then I will make some suggestions to help you get pregnant.
The injection you should have received whe you had your abortion is called RhoD antigen- it is a kind of "vaccine" against RH positive blood types. If your blood type is negative and the baby you were carrying had a positive blood type (from the father) you can develop a kind of allergy to another pregnancy in the future- which means your body will attack the blood of an Rh positive fetus, which can cause complications for a future pregnancy.
However, your blood type is not related to your ability to conceive. If you have been having unprotected sex at least a few days a week for two years, and have not conceived, then I recommend you see a GYN doctor or a fertility specialist for evaluation.
The doctor will do some blood tests of your hormones and also recommend your partner get his sperm count checked, because 50 percent of the time infertility can have a male factor.
So I want to reassure you that not getting the vaccine can put you at risk in a next pregnancy, but has nothing to do with a fertility problem. A visit to the doctor can help to determine why you have not conceived and offer the best treatment.
I hope I adequately answered your question and that this information was helpful. Feel free to contact me again if you need anything else.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
The Rh negative shot has nothing to do with infertility
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
I want to first explain what the shot you received is so you can understand what the consequences can be for future pregnancy. Then I will make some suggestions to help you get pregnant.
The injection you should have received whe you had your abortion is called RhoD antigen- it is a kind of "vaccine" against RH positive blood types. If your blood type is negative and the baby you were carrying had a positive blood type (from the father) you can develop a kind of allergy to another pregnancy in the future- which means your body will attack the blood of an Rh positive fetus, which can cause complications for a future pregnancy.
However, your blood type is not related to your ability to conceive. If you have been having unprotected sex at least a few days a week for two years, and have not conceived, then I recommend you see a GYN doctor or a fertility specialist for evaluation.
The doctor will do some blood tests of your hormones and also recommend your partner get his sperm count checked, because 50 percent of the time infertility can have a male factor.
So I want to reassure you that not getting the vaccine can put you at risk in a next pregnancy, but has nothing to do with a fertility problem. A visit to the doctor can help to determine why you have not conceived and offer the best treatment.
I hope I adequately answered your question and that this information was helpful. Feel free to contact me again if you need anything else.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
so what kind of problem is it going to put me into? what kind of risk is my future baby going to have because I didn't get the shot then?
Brief Answer:
There is a possibility for Rh sensitization
Detailed Answer:
The condition that happens... the "allergy" I was speaking about before is called RH sensitization. The mixing of your blood with the blood of an RH positive fetus makes you develop anti-D antibodies (anti-Rh positive antibodies) that can attack the blood of the next fetus you carry that is Rh positive. This can make the baby anemic.
Fortunately when you have an early abortion, there is not as much blood mixing that takes place compared to when you deliver a full term baby. So you may not already have many anti-D antibodies in your blood. As long as you get the shot next time you are pregnant (they give it at 7 months and at delivery) you may not develop any complications at all.
So if you get pregnant again tell your doctor that you missed the Rh shot and they can test your blood to see if you are Rh sensitized already. However this is not a guarantee and there is a good chance you will have no problems at all.
Again this condition is called Rh sensitization if you want to look up more information on the Internet.
I hope this information was helpful to you.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
There is a possibility for Rh sensitization
Detailed Answer:
The condition that happens... the "allergy" I was speaking about before is called RH sensitization. The mixing of your blood with the blood of an RH positive fetus makes you develop anti-D antibodies (anti-Rh positive antibodies) that can attack the blood of the next fetus you carry that is Rh positive. This can make the baby anemic.
Fortunately when you have an early abortion, there is not as much blood mixing that takes place compared to when you deliver a full term baby. So you may not already have many anti-D antibodies in your blood. As long as you get the shot next time you are pregnant (they give it at 7 months and at delivery) you may not develop any complications at all.
So if you get pregnant again tell your doctor that you missed the Rh shot and they can test your blood to see if you are Rh sensitized already. However this is not a guarantee and there is a good chance you will have no problems at all.
Again this condition is called Rh sensitization if you want to look up more information on the Internet.
I hope this information was helpful to you.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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