[Fallen2Love]

Let me back up...
When DD was born and they did the newborn heel stick they determined that me and DD have a blood type incompatability. I am o+ and she is A+. While it isn't the RH factor incompatability, there is a type of issues with O mothers whose partners are A or B blood types. The only research out there I can find is that (a) is is very similar to the RH factor except they don't have a rhogam shot for it, (b) it mostly affects babies right after birth causing a special type jaudice and anemia and may require a blood transfusion shortly after birth. DD did not have any complications from the blood type incompatability thankfully. There is also a special name for the condition (starts with an H) and refers to both babies of RH - moms and O type moms.

So, am I totally off base with my logic. I don't want to go to my OB looking like I fell off the crazy train or something. I know that in RH issues, the first pregnancy usually is fine but future pregnancies can be at a high risk of complications if the blood mixed and antibiodies are produced. I do not totally understand the process of how everything works with RH factors and blood types, etc but what I can gather is that in cased of ABO incompatability the A+ baby's blood can mix with the mother's O+ blood. However there are two types of antibiodies the mom's body makes one is too big to pass through the placenta and another is able to. But even the ones that are too big can distory the outside of the placenta causing problems even if they do not cross through the placenta.
So, I'm wondering if this could be a factor in our losses. If it is worth even bringing up to the OB or if I'm just going to be a crazy person. Since there is not much documented that I can find (Even medical studies I've looked at using my college's library resources in medical journals/peer reviewed/etc - most is still focused on the RH factor). They also don't really discuss implications during pregnancy, but rather affects on the newborn in the days following birth. Something else I found ironic, is that girls are less affected during pregnancy and immediately following birth. Complications are commonly founds in o+ moms pregnant with A+ or B+ boys. Also that male sperm are also more affected and destoryed easier by the woman's body. This was the only factor I noticed related to pregnancy loss w/ ABO incompatability. Also, on study mentioned the incompatablity creates a sort of "killer cell" which was listened on several websites as a cause of recurrent m/c.

So I am I totally on a crazy train grasping and straws or is this a real concern I should discuss with the OB? I dismissed what they said at the hospital because O blood types are usually universal donors but curiousity just got me googling and looking at the medical journal/studies through the library.

[luvmykids623]

I don't think this is a crazy train kind of thing. It sounds like you have some seriously valid concerns that could be a cause to why this keeps happening to you. I hope your doctor is willing to hear you out, and even if he/she doesn't know much about this (since it doesn't sound like many doctors would) I would hope that they would point you in the direction of someone who might know more. I hope that you are able to get some answers!

[shen7]

I am also type O and my husband is type A, I knew a little about ABO incompatibility and vaguely thought it was only an issue upon birth. But your ideas sound very interesting and definitely worth follow up. Do you live in a university town or is your doctor associated with academia? I think academics would be much more likely to give this question the attention it deserves than a busy practicing OB. I would ask your doctor about it, but be emotionally prepared for the brush-off or a pat answer if they are just too busy to think about it.

DEFINITELY you are not on the crazy train. I am going to go some of my own research now!! Let us know if/when you get any answers or learn more!

[Fallen2Love]

I'm glad I don't sound totally crazy!

My OB actually is really good about humoring me with this kind of stuff (she knows that I grew up with my mother's entire family in the medical field and just knows that I will not be happy with a brush off or whatever). We do live in a big city with many hospitals, universities, and doctors. One of my favorite perks about living in a big city is lots of choices!

I still think it is mostly an issue at birth for the baby, not for the mother. however, every study and website pulled up RH factor with ABO incompatability together. Which really kind makes ya wonder ABO incompatability works the same way as RH it just isn't as common or well known. I know w/ RH it can be really serious if you don't get the rhogam shot during pregnancy, after delivery, or with pregnancy loss.

This should be interesting.

[shen7]

Cool, it sounds like your doctor will help you with this. I found a few articles on ABO incompatibility as a possible factor in early pregnancy loss online, but they were from the 1970s. And they were conflicting. I think probably most of the work is not online or in the online databases. I saw some references going back to the 1960s.

Opinions I have developed as a result of my (non-thorough) research:
- Maternal/fetal ABO incompatibility is quite common (like 20% of all pregnancies), generally not a problem, and affects the first child and subsequent children in equal measure (unlike Rh incompatibility)
- And yet for some reason, sometimes ABO incompatibility is a very serious problem in specific cases (why only sometimes??? mysterious) (most recent sources on it were case studies of random serious cases)
- In the past (one study in 1975), early (<16w) losses that were chromosomally normal have been statistically correlated with ABO incompatibility - but lately the issue has not been examined - maybe because the matter was settled somehow?? Or maybe it just fell off the radar since there's no obvious fix for ABO problems - no Rhogam shot - and so people didn't find it a useful line of research.

Here's the article:
Materno-fetal ABO incompatibility as a cause of spontaneous abortion - Lauritsen - 2008 - Clinical Genetics - Wiley Online Library
I can tell even from the abstract that they were pretty sloppy with what they considered a "control group" and with jumping to causation statements from somewhat weak statistical patterns. And be warned, they use that terrible term "spontaneous abortion" instead of miscarriage. So I don't put much trust in this old study!

Fascinating. Do let us know what you learn!! I am very interested now too.

[ohnicole]

I definitely agree that it is worth asking your doctor about. It doesn't sound crazy at all.

[Halfbaked]

I don't know anything about ABO incompatibility but I know my Dad is AB+ and my mom is O+ She had 7 kids and only 1 miscarriage. It sounds like it's something you could ask about but doesn't sound like there is anything that can be done about it. It would at least give you an answer for what is happening though. I would definitely bring it up. It can't hurt.

[JessP]

Very interesting. The article was interesting too. I would be curious to know what you find out from your dr as I have this problem.

[Servilia]

Interesting - I would certainly ask about it too.
Here's an article I found that speaks about this issue, and also about how eating for your blood type might help:
Blood Type and Fertility Connection : Eat Right for Your Baby