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Don’t forget to ask your partner's blood type before tying the knot

Don’t forget to ask your partner's blood type before tying the knot
वर्ल्ड सेक्सुअल हेल्थ डे 2020: जानिए, आखिर क्यों कनाडा की विशेषज्ञ ने दी कोरोना महामारी में कपल्स को सेक्स के दौरान मास्क पहनने की सलाह।© Shutterstock.

It is very important for a couple to get their blood type checked before getting married or having a baby, as it can determine the health of the child.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : September 10, 2020 8:56 AM IST

Decided to get hitched? But do you know your partner's blood type? Yes, it is important to know your soul mate's blood type before getting married because you're going to have kids with him/her. A couple's blood type may determine the health of their child.

You may have heard of ABO and Rh blood type. ABO refers to the different types of blood groups: A, B, O and AB, while Rh is a type of protein that may or not be present in your red blood cells (RBCs). People with Rh proteins in their RBCs are termed as Rh positive and those without it are known as Rh negative. Rh positive is the most common blood type. While having Rh negative blood type usually does not affect your health, it can affect your pregnancy.

Especially, couples should get their Rh checked before getting married or having a child. If you and your partner are either both Rh negative or positive, then it is not problematic. But when the mother is Rh negative and the father is Rh positive, the baby might be born Rh positive. In such a case, there are chances of excessive bleeding and many other complications.

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Coupls's unmatched blood types can lead toisoimmunisation

A Rh positive baby formed from a Rh negative mother and Rh positive father can lead to a process called isoimmunisation. When this happens, the baby's blood may enter the mother's body while he/she is in the womb, which can lead to complications post pregnancy. The risk remains even if the mother aborts the baby, and the blood of Rh positive father is mixed.

Therefore, doctors recommended avoiding an Rh positive baby from a Rh negative mother and Rh positive father.

What can be done if the couple's blood types do not match?

For couples with a Rh negative mother and Rh positive father, an anti-D injection is used as a treatment. This injection is given to prevent the formation of antibodies in the mother's blood when being exposed to the father's Rh positive blood. These antibodies can make the baby vulnerable to diseases like jaundice and anaemia. The injection allows the couple can go ahead with their family planning safely.

Because of the above reasons, doctors always recommend aspiring parents to be aware of each other's blood type.

Couples should also get their blood test donefor STDs

It is also important for couples to get a blood test done to check if any of them is Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive or is suffering from any sexually transmitted disease (STD). This can help prevent the other partner from catching these infections.

When you're going for a blood test, get tested for thalassemia as well. A thalassemia minor patient has low haemoglobin and small-sized red blood cells (RBCs) that are increasing in size. This condition can increase the risk of birth defects.

For example, two thalassemia minor patients can give birth to a thalassemia major baby, who will be dependent on blood transfusion for his entire life. A thalassemia major child may need a blood transfusion every month to survive and this can be an extremely expensive task, plus the pain the child has to go through. Therefore, doctors suggest thalassemia minor parents avoid childbirth. This calls the need for getting a complete blood count test/ thalassemia test before getting married and during pregnancy.