Wendi got married few years ago, from that time till now she has been rocked with multiple spontaneous abortions. She blames the terrible experience on the witches in her village, she doesn't know that herself and some biological factors may have contributed to the situation. I will tell you how.
Have you ever heard of the word Rhesus factor (Rh)?
Rh D factor is a protein that is present on the surface of the red-blood cells. This was first discovered in rhesus monkeys, hence the name. People that have the Rh factor are Rh D positive +, those who do not have the Rh factor are Rh D negative-.
The + and - sign in front of the blood group is the rhesus D factor. So we have A+,A-,O+,O-, B+,B-,AB+,AB-. Rhesus factor is genetic, it's gotten from the parents precisely the man.
With this in mind, let's further explain Wendi’s predicament .
If you are Rh D positive+ e.g (A+,B+,O+,AB+) you are safe, but if you are negative e.g (A-,B-,AB-,O-) you're not. A male Rh D- is safe, female Rh D- aren't so lucky. If a Rh- woman gets pregnant for a man who is Rh- it's safe, but if you get pregnant for a man who is Rh+ you aren't.
Most people are Rh positive only very few are negative, the possibility for a Rh- woman to find a Rh- man is a drop in an ocean.
Let's assume Wendi is Rh- and during her school days she aborted a pregnancy, the man who got her pregnant is Rh+, obviously her baby was Rh+.
During abortion, the Rh+ blood came in contact with her Rh- blood. That was the beginning of her problem.
Once Rh- comes in contact with an Rh+, certain antibodies are activated. This antibodies are activated to fight against a perceived threat coming into the body. E.g a baby. A Rh- woman with activated antibodies would keep having miscarriages, this antibodies would see and keep fighting against foetus because they are considered foreign bodies. The woman might end up childless and if not properly informed might think she is under a demonic spell.
Women with activated antibodies are RH sensitized and once this antibodies are activated it can never be deactivated until the woman dies.
Antibodies are activated in a Rh- woman by abortion, ectopic pregnancy,miscarriage and child birth.
During child birth of a Rh- woman who got pregnant by a Rh+ man, children inherit their rhesus factor from the man so once the baby's Rh+ comes in contact with the woman Rh- during delivery the antibodies are immediately activated, so after that particular child birth the woman would keep having miscarriages because the activated antibodies would as usual fight off any foreign body.
The antibodies can be stopped from being activated by administering an injection known as Rh Immunoglobulin to a negative woman (some call it anti D).
The injection is administered 28wks into pregnancy, 72 hrs after delivery, after ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or abortion. If it's not administered and the antibodies are activated, it would never be deactivated.
Because of ignorance proper rhesus factor sensitization is lacking, Wendi is left helpless after one mistake.
There is the need to educate females on blood grouping, especially those who are desiring to have children. Apart from this, a woman with a negative rhesus factor has no problem. it can however be controlled with Rh Immunoglobulin injection.
A Rh- man or woman cannot receive blood donation from a Rh+. it would lead to death as the blood would immediately “clog and cake”.
With the advancement in technology the medical field has evolved in such a way that some of these things that were mystified in the past now has solution where there is proper orientation/enlightenment. Know your rhesus status today and live a happy family life.
Ms. Odion the answer to your question is in the article, make sure your partners blood group is known, if he's Rh+ draw the attention of your healthcare provider to it and make sure you receive the anti D injection. Thank you
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