# Antibodies found during routine blood test



## ginasgemz

I was just informed that I need to repeat my routine bloodworks because they've found some antibodies in my blood sample and they need to do further testing. I am O positive and my DH is A+ so it is not Rh negative related problem. I got a blood transfusion almost a year ago - could that cause the problem? I don't know what kind of antibodies we're talking about, but I was wondering if anyone ever experienced similar situation and what was the outcome? I have no clue what it means for the baby's health and after a miscarriage and an ectopic last year, I was just starting to feel less stressed, approaching 11 weeks..but now I am freaking out of course!!! :(


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## henbear01

I'd be inclined to ask specifically what antibodies were detected in your blood. I wouldn't worry too much about it. All that it means is that you're body has been exposed to something which your body has produced the antibodies to fight off. I know that they routinely check for Rubella antibodies but they want to find them as it means you wont contract rubella whilst pregnant. I know that transfusion blood is also checked for antibodies, so not sure if that could have any impact on the tests you've had done.

Let me know how you get on.

xx

Hope


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## Anna_due Dec

even if they have found an antibody which might attack the baby, the chances that it actually does hurt the baby is really slim. i have anti c and they keep telling me that it hardly ever results in...well anything. Its only if the level gets high it can cause problems and even then there is heaps they can do. The chances are waaaaaaaaaay likely that everything will be fine.


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## ginasgemz

Thank you ladies! I just went back for further blood tests and waiting for the results..I know they're primarily worried about my blood transfusion last year in which I've developed some sort of blood transfusion reaction after the 2nd unit of blood. I'll let you know when I figure it out what antibodies they've found.


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## ginasgemz

Okay, I now know that the antibodies are anti-c and anti-e. They both do have the ability to cross the placenta and destroy the baby's blood cells, but DH needs to be tested first to figure out if he carries them at all to see if there's a chance at all for the baby to be affected on the first place. I am reading a lot of controversial info everywhere about these meaning next to nothing, to possibly causing stillbirth. There goes the hope for a calm, uneventful pregnancy..blah.


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## Anna_due Dec

I have the anti-c and it has progressed enough that i have to have fortnightly blood tests and ultrasounds (i'm 20 weeks). I think the reason for the varying info is because most of the time it doesn't get bad enough for anything to need to be done but if the antibodies do attack the baby's red blood cells then yes it can be pretty bad but medicine has come so far now that they can start treating the baby with transfusions before birth. I have my first specialist appointment on wednesday, if i learn anything else, i'll let you know. Try to relax, the level rarely reaches a high enough level to do much.


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## ginasgemz

Anna, thinking of you and praying for you, hoping you won't need intra uterine transfusions at the end and the specialist appointment will go well!! Definitely let me know how things are progressing for you..I am trying to not to stress, since we don't even know if DH is positive or negative for these at all..at the moment I'm hoping he'll be negative and all will be well but it's still stressful. Thanks so much for the help!!


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## November1984

Odd, so they couldn't cross match your blood w/transfusion and you ended up with antibodies? I thought that only happened when you are RH -. 
Anyway, to put your mind at ease many women have gone through pregnancy just fine even after having antibodies that could cross the placenta. There are different levels, etc they will be monitoring. Found this thread from way back 2008 on here about something similar:
https://www.babyandbump.com/pregnancy-second-trimester/44401-anti-c-anti-e.html


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## Anna_due Dec

Just a quick update on what's happening with me, my husband had his blood work done and it seems that the baby is going to be susceptible to the anti c. I had a really in-depth ultrasound 3 days ago to check the babies blood flow and the technician said that he thinks everything looked fine to him but i have to get the official results from the specialist on wednesday. I also had a blood test but i have to wait for wed for the results of that too. Its stressful business this antibody stuff, and i'm kind of getting to feel like a pin cushion :)

Ginasgems- i hope your man's blood tests come back with good results and then you won't have to worry anymore. Goodluck.


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## Youngling

I also had antibodies detected in my blood early on. Mine was anti M. Im a rh +
I had to have regular blood tests done so they could keep an eye on it, thats all the could do really. My last blood result, at 31 weeks i think it was, came back as no antibodies. So somehow they had dissappeared.
Once baby is born though I think I have to have another blood test and they will take some blood from the babies cord just to check all is ok.
Hope it all works out ok for you, just thought i would share my story.
Good luck
xx


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## Anna_due Dec

Youngling said:


> I My last blood result, at 31 weeks i think it was, came back as no antibodies. So somehow they had dissappeared.

Gee i hope mine disappear :thumbup:


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## November1984

Anna_due Dec said:


> Youngling said:
> 
> 
> I My last blood result, at 31 weeks i think it was, came back as no antibodies. So somehow they had dissappeared.
> 
> Gee i hope mine disappear :thumbup:Click to expand...

I saw A LOT of moms online talking about having anti c antibodies and their babies are fine. Don't freak yourself out. HUGS!


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## ginasgemz

Thank you Ladies! I am trying to relax, even though my ob just informed me today that they've found yet another type of antibody, Jka (kidd). So we're up to 3 .. I'm having an appointment on friday to see my doctor and determine what needs to happen, he is slightly concerned. My DH will get tested then as well.

Anna, so glad that things look good for you!!! Awesome! I pray it'll stay this way till the end of your pregnancy!!


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## ginasgemz

November1984 said:


> Odd, so they couldn't cross match your blood w/transfusion and you ended up with antibodies? I thought that only happened when you are RH -.

Yeah it's very weird..All I know is that it was a life saving blood transfusion when I bled into my abdomen with my abdominal ectopic pregnancy last year. I developed some sort of reaction after they started the 2nd bag of blood, with slight fever and extreme itching, and my DH who works in the healthcare field did question the doctor whether they could cross-match me but he said he didn't find it necessery since my reaction is very mild, anyway. Even more oddly, about 4 weeks after the surgery, I developed high fever and hives all over my skin, with bad joint pain that lasted for a week or so and no doctor was able to determine what caused it. They flat out refused the possibility of having a delayed transfusion reaction and it did go away by itself eventually, but it was scary to go through that without answers. It still is scary, especially to know that there could've been some carelessness on their end about the whole situation. Unfortunately this is not uncommon here and I have no chance to go to a different hospital since we live in AK and there's virtually nothing in several hours proximity. I don't even have maternal fetal medicine specialist here in town and it does worry me if things are to get worse with this pregnancy. Driving to another town to see a peri means 8 hrs drive one way...Well, just got to keep praying that all will be well...thanks for the encouragement!


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## mazee71

During my last pg I was requested to go to GP after 16 week bloods, turned out I had -c antibodies too. They sent both mine and OH blood to cardiff, when his came back he had 5 antigens in his blood. He had a transfusion over 20 years ago, I always wonder if thats were this all stems from.

Anyway I had my blood taken every fortnight to check titre, they raised slightly towards the last 6 weeks and then stopped. They even okayed me at 38 weeks for a home delivery, he however had other plans - he refused to budge for another fortnight.

He was born extremely healthy - they checked his cord blood and let us home the next day.


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## ginasgemz

Awesome story, Mazee71, thanks so much! It's very encouraging!! I have an appointment tomorrow and I sure hope my ob will put my mind to ease a bit. Did you have an amniocentesis? I've read often that's what they like to do to check on the baby in antibody-sensitised pregnancies and I wonder if it's a common practice. 
Thanks!


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## Anna_due Dec

They never mentioned the amnio to me. They just said i have to have fortnightly ultrasounds and bloodtests and only if they see the baby is being affected would they do anything else. Having said that, maybe they do things differently place to place.


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## ginasgemz

Well I have some great news, my mind was put to ease for now, quite a bit! Out of the 3 antibodies, my DH is negative for one, so that leaves us with two, both antibody levels are barely detectable and non-titerable at the moment!!! (the only one that they were able to titer at all was the one DH turned out to be negative for!! so it doesn't count anyway.) So my ob thinks this pregnancy probably will be fine but I'll have blood tests done every 2-3 weeks as well. I am really relieved, hoping everyone's numbers will stay low...whew with every single pregnancy I learn so much more about the potentional complications, it's becoming a bigger and bigger miracle in my eyes when a healthy baby is born after a healthy pregnancy. Incredible how many things can go wrong but we need to focus on what's going right!!!!!!!! right? :) GL Ladies!!!


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## November1984

ginasgemz said:


> Well I have some great news, my mind was put to ease for now, quite a bit! Out of the 3 antibodies, my DH is negative for one, so that leaves us with two, both antibody levels are barely detectable and non-titerable at the moment!!! (the only one that they were able to titer at all was the one DH turned out to be negative for!! so it doesn't count anyway.) So my ob thinks this pregnancy probably will be fine but I'll have blood tests done every 2-3 weeks as well. I am really relieved, hoping everyone's numbers will stay low...whew with every single pregnancy I learn so much more about the potentional complications, it's becoming a bigger and bigger miracle in my eyes when a healthy baby is born after a healthy pregnancy. Incredible how many things can go wrong but we need to focus on what's going right!!!!!!!! right? :) GL Ladies!!!

Look at you go!

That's great that your numbers are tiny. Relax a little now! :happydance:


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## Anna_due Dec

Yay! so glad you've had good news. I know what you mean about the healthy baby miracle. Only one out of four of my pregnancies has been problem free and the last 2 the babies ended up in the NICU for weeks. It's disappointing because it means (well for me anyway) that it's hard to enjoy the pregnancy. I can't wait for it to be over so i can hold my healthy baby in my arms and stop stressing.

Well anyway, lets hope all the anti-bodies stay low for all of us affected and our pregnancies are problem free otherwise :)


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## taylor197878

i have anti e i dont know much about them but i had it with my son 5 years ago, all i know is i need extra blood test and kept a eye on but they did refuse my home birth cause of them.

i kep getting told not to worry hard not to when i dont know what they are really,


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## kare bear

hi i read your thread and i am also pregnant and recieved similar news about having antibodies in my blood. I had a blood transfusion done a couple months ago and that was the culprit. I was seriously worried buy my Dr. reassured me that the baby would be fine and, its simply that my body develop antibodies to fight the unrecognized antigen from the transfused blood.. However there is a RED FLAG WARNING you should heed..if ever u need a blood transfusion in the future please please please advise your Dr. that you have antibodies in your blood. Serious complications can occur if your reintroduced to the same antibodies..such as seizure, anemia, many other life threatening conditions..


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## kare bear

hi i read your thread and i am also pregnant and recieved similar news about having antibodies in my blood. I had a blood transfusion done a couple months ago and that was the culprit. I was seriously worried buy my Dr. reassured me that the baby would be fine and, its simply that my body develop antibodies to fight the unrecognized antigen from the transfused blood.. However there is a RED FLAG WARNING you should heed..if ever u need a blood transfusion in the future please please please advise your Dr. that you have antibodies in your blood. Serious complications can occur if your reintroduced to the same antibodies..such as seizure, anemia, many other life threatening conditions..


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## kare bear

I was just informed that I need to repeat my routine bloodworks because they've found some antibodies in my blood sample and they need to do further testing. I am O positive and my DH is A+ so it is not Rh negative related problem. I got a blood transfusion almost a year ago - could that cause the problem? I don't know what kind of antibodies we're talking about, but I was wondering if anyone ever experienced similar situation and what was the outcome? I have no clue what it means for the baby's health and after a miscarriage and an ectopic last year, I was just starting to feel less stressed, approaching 11 weeks..but now I am freaking out of course!!! :([/QUOTE]


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## knitbit

I have anti fyb antibodies and they tested DH's blood and the babies (twins) are definitely carriers of fyb. I get blood tests every 4 weeks to check the titer levels. Right now they are low enough that they don't pose a threat, but if they increase it could cause a problem. CVS wasn't an option and I've opted not to do amnio because if they make the placenta bleed, it could increase my exposure.

I didn't have a transfusion, but did have both CVS and a D&E with my last pregnancy (M/C), which is how they think I was exposed. I have two healthy boys and didn't show antibody levels until this pregnancy.

Good luck to you.


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