Rh Sensitization During Pregnancy: Medications
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Medications
Use of Rh immune globulin is 99.8% effective in preventing Rh sensitization.1 Rh immune globulin contains Rh antibodies that have been purified from human donors. This treatment prevents an unsensitized Rh-negative mother from making antibodies against her fetus's Rh-positive blood.
If an affected fetus younger than 34 weeks needs to be delivered, corticosteroid medication (betamethasone or dexamethasone) may be given to the mother to speed fetal lung development before a premature birth.
| Last updated: | November 02, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Kathe Gallagher, MSW |
| Reviewed By: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine, Gregory A L Davies, MD, FRCSC, FACOG - Maternal-Fetal Medicine |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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