PREGNANT women in Morecambe Bay are being offered a new treatment designed to safeguard the health of their future babies, reports Michaela Robinson-Tate.
Women in Kendal, Lancaster and Barrow are among the first in the North West to benefit from the initiative that is being introduced to meet national guidelines.
The treatment will be offered to particular women to help reduce the chances of them producing unwanted antibodies that could harm a baby during a future pregnancy.
The measure could prevent a baby becoming anaemic and suffering from a number of life-threatening conditions which are known as "haemolytic disease of the newborn" although health experts stressed this was rare and affected only one in 21,000 births.
All pregnant women have their blood group checked routinely during pregnancy, and the test establishes whether they have a protein called the Rhesus factor attached to their red blood cells.
If the woman has the Rhesus factor in her cells she is Rhesus positive, and if not, she is Rhesus negative. In the UK around 85 per cent of people are Rhesus positive and 15 per cent Rhesus negative.
If the woman is Rhesus negative and the baby she is carrying is Rhesus positive, there can be an implication for future pregnancies. The baby the woman is currently carrying is not at risk.
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Katherine Granger said that if any of the baby's blood got into the women's blood stream, which was most likely to happen during delivery, the woman's body could react by producing antibodies and these could affect a future baby if it was also Rhesus positive.
To combat this, pregnant women who are Rhesus negative are being offered injections at 28 weeks and 34 weeks to reduce the chances of them producing the antibodies.
As well as saving lives, the treatment could prevent a baby having to be rushed into special care.
Dr Granger said: "We have discussed it at length because of the injections women have to have and the extra time taken for counselling, but if you are the person that is going to be affected then it's worth it."
Women who are Rhesus negative will receive information and counselling about the treatment.
May 28, 2003 08:30
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article