Rh incompatibility

Hemolytic disease of the newborn is a serious condition caused by blood type incompatibility between an Rh-negative pregnant woman and her Rh-positive child. Rh incompatibility occurs when antibodies from the mother attack the child’s red blood cells. The condition has no direct effect on the mother’s health, but can have serious consequences for the child, such as anemia, jaundice, brain damage, heart failure or even death. In order to prevent these serious consequences, Rhesus prophylaxis in the form of anti-D immunoglobulin (also known as “anti-D prophylaxis”) is administered to every Rh-negative pregnant woman in Germany as a preventive measure.