The Rhesus factor

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
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I was just reading the Straight Dope on marital blood testing in the US (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_193.html).
I have to say, I find it incredible that someone from a department of Medicine is seriously saying in this day and age that a Rhesus negative woman can only have one Rhesus positive child. I disprove that as I am one of five Rhesus positive children of a Rhesus negative mother (encompassing four pregnancies).

I would agree with G. Dellaire that if you are planning on having children you need to know whether you are Rhesus negative or positive, but you don’t need to know that before you get married, unless you are already pregnant. The way it goes is this: if you are Rhesus negative and you give birth to a Rhesus positive baby then there is some injection (don’t know what it’s called - someone else?) that you must have within, I think it’s 36 hours (of the birth), for you to be able to have another healthy Rhesus positive child.
(edited to fix link)

[Edited by Arnold Winkelried on 09-08-2000 at 11:46 AM]

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3

bnl_23, the explanation was a little unclear. I would consider those required shots to be part of “the proper precautions”, but it would have been more thorough to explain that it requires a simple shot, rather than leaving it open to wonder what they meant.

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