Question: How would rh immune globulin help a rh negative pregnant woman? Why?

Carmen Denman answered on 16 Mar 2015:

Hi Jose,

I found the answer for you on web MD, because I have to admit I didn’t know what you were asking at first! Basically, the Rh antibodies are taken from a donor and injected into the pregnant mum who is an Rh-negative. Rh immune globulin antibodies locate any Rh-positive fetal red blood cells that are present. The antibodies attach to the Rh-positive red blood cells, masking their presence from the mother’s immune system – otherwise the mother’s immune system could try to reject the fetus. Although the Rh immune globulin antibodies destroy fetal red blood cells, not enough are destroyed to harm the fetus. Apparently this is a widely used and sucessful method for dealing with the issue.

Cheers! Great question. I learned something new!
Carmen