Rh Sensitization and Induced Abortion

This study reported that the inoculum of RBC Rh-positive antigens following abortions at less than 12 weeks’ gestation was below the threshold supposedly required for sensitization. The authors concluded that abandoning Rh immunoglobulin could save effort and resources. Prior to this study, 2 prospective studies published in 1972 supported Rh immunoglobulin use in this circumstance. In 2022, the World Health Organization recommended abandoning first-trimester Rh immunoglobulin (still in draft); the grade of evidence was “very low.”
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research