Testing is the first step toward having a safe and healthy HDFN baby. This episode covers the importance of early tests that can determine how severely your baby will be affected by your antibodies. We include information about new tests, Rhogam, and how you can donate plasma to help other expectant mothers determine the antigen status of their babies. 

Episode themes: 

• Standard pregnancy screening for antibodies
• Antibody ID and titer blood test 
• Blood tests for baby’s father
• Cell free fetal DNA (cffDNA) for baby’s antigen status
• Rh Immune Globulin (Rhogam)

Plasma Donation: Southern Blood Services https://southernbloodservices.com/

For information on donating to create test kits email [email protected]

Terminology used in this episode:

• Antibody Screen: Part of mother’s blood work that can be used to determine the presence of antibodies 
• Antibody ID: followup screen on the mother that identifies what type of antibody the mother has
• Titer: test (and term often used to describe measurement) of the amount of antibodies present in the mother’s blood 
• Critical Titer: Kell 4, All others 16 
• Antigen Phenotype test: Test for the father to determine antigen that baby may inherit 
• Amniocentesis: drawing amniotic fluid by piercing the amniotic sack with a needle through the mother’s belly, can cause antibody titer to go up 
• MCA Doppler Scan: advanced non-invasive scanning technique used to determine fetal anemia 
• Cell Free Fetal DNA Testing: a test using the mom’s blood to determine baby’s blood type, not readily available in the United States. Can be used to detect D, Kell, E, c, and C antigen status. 

Cell Free Fetal DNA (cffDNA) information https://allohopefoundation.org/library/cffdna/ 

cffDNA direct from Sanquin Laboratories https://www.sanquin.org/products-and-services/diagnostics/non-invasive-fetal-blood-group-genotyping

Allo Hope Terminology Library https://allohopefoundation.org/library/terminology/

For more on tests during pregnancy, see our prenatal testing guide at https://allohopefoundation.org/library/prenatal-testing/

Guests: Dr. Thomas Trevett http://www.georgiaperinatal.com/dr-trevett/

Research for this episode provided by Bethany Weathersby and Molly Sherwood of the Allo Hope Foundation. Find more information at https://allohopefoundation.org.

The Allo Podcast is produced and edited by https://www.mediaclub.co.