Is there a problem if both my wife and I have the same blood type?
Question:
I am going to be married next month. I would like to know if is there any problem if a husband and wife's blood group are the same, as we are both A+.
Answer:
Blood is grouped into several types: A, B, O, and AB. These blood groups are important when transfusions are necessary. In addition, there is a second factor called Rh. You and your future wife are both Rh-positive, like the majority of the world.
In a marriage, the Rh factor is a consideration only when the wife is Rh-negative and the husband is Rh-positive. If the woman becomes pregnant, there is a strong chance that the child she bears may be Rh-positive, since Rh positive is the dominant trait. While the placenta separates the mother's blood from the child's blood, it is possible for antibodies to cross the membrane. An Rh-negative mother can produce antibodies against Rh-positive blood which would lead to harm to her unborn child in a future pregnancy.
The antibodies are not produced until the mother is exposed to Rh-positive blood, either through a transfusion or by having a child with Rh-positive blood. Thus, the first child is rarely a problem, though if a mother miscarried, that counts as the first child. In very rare cases, an Rh-negative mother may begin producing antibodies against Rh-positive blood near the end of her pregnancy.
Once a mother begins producing antibodies against Rh-positive blood, it can't be stopped, but it can be suppressed. Doctors will generally give Rh-negative women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant a shot to suppress the production of antibodies against Rh-positive blood. This gives the child an opportunity to develop normally.