RHESUS_FACTOR_INCOMPATIBILITY A LEADING CAUSE OF MISCARRIAGE

Rhesus Factor is an antigen that exists on the surface of red blood cells in most people (about 85% of humans). It is also referred to as Rh Factor. People who have the Rh have “positive” (+) blood types, such as A+, O+ or B+ are said to be rhesus Factor positive,  while those who  have the Rh  “negative” (-) blood types, such as A–, O– or AB– are said to be rhesus factor negative . The “+” and “-” in front of the blood group is the Rhesus factor. Generally, we have A+, A–, B+, B–, AB+, AB–, O+ and O–. Rhesus factor is genetic in nature. It is inherited from the parents, emphatically the father.

#How_does_Rhesus_Factor_cause_miscarriage?

If a Rh– woman is impregnated by a man with Rh–, there wouldn’t be any problem. However, if a Rh– woman is impregnated by a man with Rh+, there would be a problem if the baby inherits Rh+ from the father . We have here what is medically called Rhesus Factor Incompatibility. The baby would obviously be Rh+. During child birth, once the baby’s Rh+ comes in contact with the woman Rh- during delivery, the antibodies are immediately activated by the woman’s body’s immune system.

The activated antibodies would see the new Rh+ as foreign body or a threat and consequently they would be at alert to attack and get rid of the foreign body. Unfortunately as such, after this particular child birth, the woman would keep having miscarriages because the activated antibodies would see subsequent Rh+ pregnancies as foreign bodies and would keep fighting and taking them off.

Women with Rh activated antibodies are said to be Rh sensitized and once these antibodies are activated , they can never be deactivated until the woman dies. Rh induced antibodies are activated in a Rh- woman by child birth, abortion, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

If a Rh– woman commits an abortion for a Rh+ man and the antibodies are activated in her system, the woman might end up childless throughout her life except if she later marries another man with with the same Rh–. The possibility of a Rh– woman finding a Rh– man is slim as about 85% of human beings are Rh+. This is a warning to our young girls who commits abortions all in the name of boyfriend-girlfriend relationships.

If you’re a woman with Rh– and your fiance is Rh+, and you haven’t committed abortion for him and you don’t want to leave him, then, you need to take note of the following:

In order to prevent the activation of the antibodies, doctors would give women in this category an injection called Rhogam during and after pregnancy to prevent spontaneous abortion due to Rhesus factor incompatibility. The injection is normally administered 28 weeks into pregnancy, 72 hours after delivery, after ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or abortion. If the injection is not administered and the antibodies are activated, they would never be deactivated again!

In many African cultures up till today, women who are so unfortunate to find themselves having serial spontaneous abortions due to Rhesus factor incompatibility are considered witches by some of their people. Some of the women would accuse their in-laws of being behind their predicament.

So, if you’re a woman with Rh– , you need to be very careful. It might be difficult for you to get a husband with a Rh– because about 85% of human beings are Rh+. So, in order not to find yourself in the aforementioned problem, put all that have been said at the back of your mind and go for genetic counselling. If you have a daughter or a sister with Rh–, counsel them on Rhesus Factor Incompatibility and the dangers lying therein.

It should also be noted that a Rh– person(man or woman) cannot receive blood donation from a Rh+ person even if they have the same blood group. The consequence of such blood transfusion is fatal. It would lead to death as the blood would clot. This is due to the incompatibility in their Rhesus factor.

Know your Rhesus factor today!

THORACIC MOBILIZATION

In the clinical world, it is well recognized that neck pain often improves when the next adjacent spinal region (the thoracic spine) is treated. There are numerous theories as to why this change is seen ranging from the very mechanical (if your mid-back is stiff, your neck endures more stress) to the more modern, neurophysiological explanations. Nonetheless, clinical experience and research tell us that mobilizing the thoracic spine can help to reduce neck pain.
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Now, unless you are under the care of a musculoskeletal practitioner, you may be wondering how exactly you might go about this on your own. Well, there are several options, but the foam roller is an excellent choice for most people.  Although this tool is not as specific as someone who is trained in manual therapy, it can be extremely useful.
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Here's what to do:
✅ Position the roller so that it runs perpendicular to your spine (as shown in the image) and is placed generally between the shoulder blades.
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✅ Next, either cross your arms over your chest or put your hands behind your head (if is uncomfortable to hold your head up) and slowly walk your feet up and down the floor so that the roller moves along the thoracic spine (not the neck and not the low back).
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✅ During this process, keep your abs tucked slightly to avoid simply arching your low back (the picture shows a bit more arch than is desirable). Arching the low back really just means you are missing out on a more focused thoracic mobilization.
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✅ For neck pain, keep the roller in an area between an imaginary line level with the bottom of your shoulder blades running up to the base of your neck.
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I hope this helps! Comment below if you have any questions.
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📚Suvarnnato T, et al. The Effects of Thoracic Manipulation Versus Mobilization for Chronic Neck Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial Pilot Study. J Phys Ther Sci. 2013.