American College of Nurse-Midwives
www.sharewithwomen.org
r
Chorionicvilli sampling or amniocentesis(testsfor birth defects)
r
Injury to yourabdomen (belly), suchas a car accident or fa ll, duringpregnancy
r
Externalversion (turning a breech baby sothebaby is headfirst)
If you are Rhnegativeand any of thesethings happen to you, youshould contact yourhealth care provider
right away. Youshould get a RhoGAM shot within 72 hours of the poss
ibleexposure to Rh-positive bloodfor
the shot to workbest.
HowsafeisRhoGAM?
RhoGAM isverysafe.Itis recommendedfor all pregnant women with Rh-negative blood typeand hasbeen
usedfor about 50 years. Although RhoGAM is made from human blood, only the verysmall Rh pieceisused.
There is a very rare chancethatyo
ucould get an infection suchasHIVor hepatitisfrom RhoGAM, butthis is
so rare that there are no reports of it happening. There is alsoavery rare chancethatyou will haveanallergic
reaction to the RhoGAM that causesfever andchills or shortness ofbreath.Itis more common to haveasmall
reaction li
keredness or swelling where the RhoGAM was injected, usually your upper arm or buttocks.
Itis important to know that the risk ofdevelopingRh sensitization is muchhigher than the risk ofproblems
from the RhoGAM shot.Oncethathappens, all future pregnancies are at risk for the b
aby beingverysick or
dying if the baby isRh positive.Therefore, not takingRhoGAM is muchmoredangerous than takingRhoGAM.
Are there women who should not get RhoGAM?
If you havehemolytic anemia, or you havehad an allergic reaction to a shot of immune globulin, or you already
have Rh sensitization,youshould no t get the RhoGAM shot.
Is there anything else I need to know about RhoGAM?
Itisbestnottoget some vaccines within 3 months of having the RhoGAM shot.This is not usually a problem
becausethevaccines that donotwork well after getting a RhoGAM shot are never given to pregnant wo men.
This issomething to think aboutifyou are
planning to travel outof the country within 3 months after giving
birth to an area where you need a vaccine called a “live-virus” vaccine.Ifyou are in thissituation, talk to your
health care provider before you are given the RhoGAM shot.Als
o, ifyou haveany religious or culturalconcerns
abouttaking a bloodproduct,youshould talk to yourhealth care pro vider or religious leader abouttherisks
andbenefits.
What if I do not choose to get RhoGAM?
Aboutonein5 women who donotget RhoGAM will get Rh sensitization, which cannot be fixed onceithappens.
If youdonotget RhoGAM duringpregnancy, youshould get your blooddrawn regularly in the lasttrimester
to see ifyou have become Rh sensitiz
ed. If youdo become sensitized, tests to see how your baby is handling
the problem will beoffered. If the baby has a serious problem,you may need to beinduced to give birth early.
For More Information
March of Dimes: Rh Disease
http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/rh-disease.aspx
How RhoGAM Works
http://www.rhogam.com/images/content/Teaching-Chart-Large.jpg
A merican Red Cross: Blood Types
http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types
ispagemaybereproducedfornoncommercialusebyhealthcareprofessionalstosharewithclients.Any
other reproduction is subject to the Journal ofMidwifery&Women’s Health’s approval. e information and
recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute
for medical diagnosis. For specic information concerning your personal medical condition, the Journal of
Midwifery&Women’s Health suggests that you consult your health care provider.
726 Volume 58, No.6,November/December 2013