Question

Have you noticed that Carmen and her first child don't have compatible ABOA B O blood groups? Why does an ABOA B O incompatibility between a mother and her child rarely cause severe problems?

Answer 1

ABO incompatibility between a mother and child rarely causes severe problems due to the lack of blood mixing during pregnancy, preventing maternal antibodies from affecting the fetus.

Step-by-step explanation:

An ABO incompatibility between a mother and her child rarely causes severe problems because the maternal and fetal blood do not normally mix during pregnancy. Although a mother has preformed antibodies to different ABO blood groups, these antibodies do not frequently cross the placenta to affect the fetus. This is different from the Rh incompatibility, where antibodies can be produced by an Rh-negative mother against her Rh-positive fetus's blood cells, which could then cross the placenta and cause hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). However, even with an ABO incompatibility, the separation of maternal and fetal blood circulation typically prevents these antibodies from causing harm to the fetus.