Determining and Managing Rh Incompatibility

When I was born, hydrops fetalis was an almost hopeless situation. Today, preventing Rh-negative moms from being sensitized is extremely (but not completely) successful at preventing hydrops wherever the guidelines are followed. All of this with a couple of simple, but ingenious shots! Once a mom has become sensitized things are not so simple. Future pregnancies may turn out fine, but sometimes massive, complex, medical interventions are necessary -- and even with these, a good outcome may not be possible.

Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Greene, is the founder of Dr.Greene.com and the WhiteOut Movement. He is a frequent guest on such shows as Good Morning America, The Today Show, and the Dr. Oz Show. He is on the Board of Directors of Healthy Child Healthy World and The Lunchbox Project. Dr. Greene is a practicing pediatrician at Stanford University's Packard Children's Hospital.

Copyright © Greene Ink, Inc., all rights reserved. Permission to republish granted to Pregnancy.org. Reviewed by Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin M.D. & Liat Simkhay Snyder M.D. November 8, 2008.