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Hematology

Irregular antibodies in pregnancy: the week-12 screening

According to the NVKC, irregular antibodies are antibodies against red blood cells that are normally not in the blood. According to the RIVM, during pregnancy blood from the child can enter the mother's blood, and at birth the chance of this is even quite high. According to the RIVM, if the child has a different blood group, the mother can make antibodies against the child's blood group.

According to the RIVM, those antibodies can enter the child's blood through the umbilical cord and break down the child's blood, so that the child develops anaemia. According to the RIVM, the mother notices nothing of the antibodies herself, and only a blood test detects them.

Diagnostiek voor U gives 'Negatief' (negative) as the target value for the screen for irregular erythrocyte antibodies.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Irregular antibodies are antibodies against red blood cells that are normally not in the blood. According to the NVKC, they can only arise from a blood transfusion or during a pregnancy.

  • For the screen for irregular antibodies, Certe gives 'Negatief' (negative) as its reference, Diagnostiek voor U 'Negatief' as its target value and Unilabs 'niet aantoonbaar' (not detectable); none of the four laboratories gives a number.
  • According to the NVKC, the test for irregular antibodies is requested before a blood transfusion or an operation that may need blood, and is part of the week-12 pregnancy screening.
  • According to the RIVM, irregular antibodies, antibodies against blood groups, are not lost again once made, and they can flare up again in a later pregnancy.

Reference Ranges

Expected result Negative

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Irregular Antibody Screening: what this test measures

The screen for irregular antibodies in pregnancy looks for antibodies against blood groups the woman does not have herself. According to the RIVM, in the blood test for pregnant women the laboratory determines the ABO blood group, the Rhesus D blood group and the Rhesus c blood group as well as the antibodies.

Irregular Antibody Screening: why this value matters

According to the RIVM, irregular antibodies can sometimes cause problems during a pregnancy. According to the RIVM, women who are Rhesus D-negative or Rhesus c-negative run a slightly higher chance of irregular antibodies. According to the RIVM, of all women 15 percent are Rhesus D-negative and 18 percent Rhesus c-negative.

Irregular Antibody Screening: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Irregular Antibody Screening: when is testing worthwhile?

According to the NVKC, the test for irregular antibodies is part of the screening in week 12 of pregnancy. The RIVM calls that blood test voluntary: it is only done with the pregnant woman's consent.

Irregular Antibody Screening: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

Diagnostiek voor U calls 'Negatief' (negative) the target value for irregular erythrocyte antibodies, and according to the NVKC there are normally no irregular antibodies in the blood.

High Levels

According to the RIVM, when the laboratory finds irregular antibodies in a pregnant woman, further tests are sometimes needed, sometimes also of the biological father's blood.

Irregular Antibody Screening: causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Blood transfusion

    A blood transfusion can bring 'foreign' blood into the circulation, against which the immune system can form irregular antibodies.

  • Pregnancy

    During pregnancy blood from the child can enter the mother's blood; if the child has a different blood group, the mother can make antibodies.

  • Rhesus D-negative or Rhesus c-negative in pregnancy

    Women who are Rhesus D-negative or Rhesus c-negative run a slightly higher chance of making antibodies against blood groups.

Irregular Antibody Screening: lifestyle and this value

Discuss irregular antibodies found during a pregnancy with your midwife or gynaecologist, who according to the RIVM tells you more about any further tests.

Irregular Antibody Screening: frequently asked questions

Can irregular antibodies flare up again in a later pregnancy?

Yes, according to the RIVM a woman does not lose irregular antibodies, antibodies against blood groups, once they have been made, and they can flare up again in a later pregnancy.

Irregular Antibody Screening: sources

  1. NVKC, Alles over testen: Irregulaire antistoffen, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-17 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  2. RIVM, Onderzoek naar bloedgroepen en bloedgroepantistoffen, pns.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-15 (retrieved 2026) pns.nl

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