Question

The second pregnancy of a woman terminates due to anaemia of the fetus. She has never had a blood transfusion. On the basis of this, which of the following is correct?
A. A child from the first pregnancy is Rh+ ve
B. The husband of the woman is Rh+ ve
C. The woman is Rh- ve
D. All of the above

Answer 1

The rhesus factor or Rh factor is an important trait of blood cells. It plays an important role in determining the compatibility of the couple having a child and can lead to fatal conditions if neglected.

Complete answer: When the mother has Rh –ve blood type and the father has Rh +ve blood type, and the female conceives an Rh +ve fetus, then during the time of parturition, there is a chance that the fetal blood may enter the mother’s bloodstream.
This triggers the immune system to release anti-Rh antibodies.
Although this is not harmful to the fetus nor the mother during the first pregnancy, the presence of the anti-Rh antibodies in the mother’s blood poses a risk in the case of a second pregnancy.
If the second fetus is also Rh +ve then it leads to a serious condition called erythroblastosis fetal which is also called hemolytic disease of the newborn; a type of anemia in which the red blood cells of the fetus get destroyed.

So, the correct answer is option D. All of the above.

Note: The Rhesus (Rh) factor is the protein structure found on the membrane of red blood cells, just like the other antigens A and B. In case a person has this protein in their RBCs then he/she is called Rh +ve, and if it is not present then the person is called Rh –ve.