A new test will save thousands of pregnant women from having to take anti-D immunoglobulin, according to new guidance in the UK.
The test can identify whether a rhesus D negative mother is carrying a rhesus-D positive baby, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
The test analyses DNA from the foetus, using the mother’s blood, and can be performed during routine ante-natal appointments.
NICE said using the test would help manage limited stocks of the immunoglobulin.
It would also reduce potential risks to women of using a blood product.
NICE says the test will reduce the number of women needing anti-D by 40,000 a year and save the NHS more than £500,000.
Professor Carole Longson, from NICE, said: “Since the adoption of routine anti-D prophylaxis, deaths as a result of severe haemolytic disease are very rare. However, because anti-D immunoglobulin is derived from human blood, stocks are limited and subject to shortages.
“Non-invasive pre-natal testing may enable women who are rhesus-D negative and carrying a rhesus-D negative foetus to avoid unnecessary treatment with anti-D immunoglobulin, preserve stocks of the medicine and reduce the potential future risk associated with blood products.
“The test could also allow women who are rhesus-D negative and carrying a positive baby to make an informed choice about whether to have anti-D prophylaxis.
"This may lead to better adherence as these women know that if they do not have anti-D prophylaxis there is a risk of problems in future pregnancies. This in turn may reduce the number of sensitisations and haemolytic disease in subsequent pregnancies.”
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