What it mean if your blood is Rh-negative

During your pregnancy, you’ll be amazed by how much blood you can part with at a time. A battery of prenatal blood tests identify your blood group, hemoglobin level, iron, immunity to infectious diseases, such as German measles, and whether you are Rhesus (Rh) positive or negative.

Most people (85 percent) are Rh-positive, but if you’re Rh-negative, your blood may be incompatible with your baby’s. “If an Rh-negative mother is pregnant with an Rh-positive baby and any of the baby’s blood cells enter the mother’s blood stream, her body will produce antibodies to break down the baby’s red blood cells,” says Georgoussis.

The Rh blood test is typically done around 28 weeks because there’s a greater chance of bleeding in the later stages of pregnancy, she says. “If the test shows that you’re Rh-negative, you’ll be given an injection of Rh immunoglobulin, which protects your baby by preventing antibodies from forming.”

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