A Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr Ayodele Ademola, advises intending couples and parents to go for proper counseling and tests with competent medical practitioners to avert problems of Rhesus (Rh) incompatibility during childbearing.
Ademola, also the Medical Director, StronTower Advanced Fertility Centre, gave the advice in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that counseling was important to provide the couples with the right information on what to be done if their rhesus factors did not match.
The gynecologist, who described rhesus factor as “a threat to childbearing”, explained that rhesus factor incompatibility occurs when a rhesus negative woman marries a rhesus positive man.
He explained that if the woman blood mixes with the Rh-positive blood of the baby, the woman could develop antibodies against the baby’s blood, leading to Rh sensitisation of the woman’s blood.
According to him, the woman’s immune system stores these antibodies in case such foreign cells (baby’s blood type) come back again, which can happen in a future pregnancy; hence the woman is now Rh sensitised.
“There can only be a problem when a Rh negative mother has a baby (pregnancy) for a Rh positive father.
“If the baby’s Rh factor is positive, like his or her father’s, this can be an issue if the baby’s red blood cells cross to the Rh-negative mother. When this happens, the woman becomes sensitised to Rh positive blood.
“This often happens at birth/delivery when the placenta breaks away. But it may also happen any time the mom’s and baby’s blood cells mix,” Ademola said.
He further explained that there were some advanced methods of managing Rh incompatibility issues, which includes application of the “Rhogam Injection and Rh sensitisation.
He emphasised that the most important thing was for the couples/parents involved to get proper counseling that would enable them prepared their minds on the necessary things to do as to do it the right time.
“Rh sensitisation normally isn’t a problem with a first pregnancy. Most issues occur in future pregnancies with another Rh positive baby.
“During that pregnancy, the woman’s antibodies cross the placenta to fight the Rh positive cells in her baby’s body.
“As the antibodies destroy the cells, the baby gets sick; the baby could have jaundice, heart failure, and enlarged organs,” he said.
The gynecologist, however, said that the Rh factor issues were usually more common among the Europeans/white people than the Africans.
He said: “Despite, the fact that Rh factor incompatibility are mostly common among the whites, however, it shouldn’t be overlooked in African countries and Nigeria in particular.
“So, to be on safe side, intending couples and parents should go for proper counseling and tests with a certified and competent medical practitioner to ascertain their Rh status to avoid problem of Rh incompatibility during childbearing”.
Ademola lamented that some health practitioners were not knowledgeable enough when it came to some medical issues like the Rh factor, and as a result, ended up misleading people, hence, the need to ensure the services of a competent gynecologist was important.
NAN
