Megan Garlapow, PhD

All articles by Megan Garlapow, PhD

• Iron deficiency during pregnancy often missed by standard tests

  Standard hemoglobin screening may miss iron deficiency that could affect maternal health and newborn blood outcomes, including HDFN.

• Study: Most providers begin Rh testing after first trimester

  Most of the family planning providers surveyed no longer conduct Rh testing or give Rh immunoglobulin for HDFN before 12 weeks of pregnancy.

• Study: HDFN still carries great risk for fetuses and infants

  While many babies recover and blood levels usually return to normal by one year of age, HDFN can still lead to serious complications.

• Filtration therapy may help delay blood transfusions in severe HDFN

  Some patients who received a blood-filtering treatment were able to wait until they were further along in their pregnancies to begin IUTs.

• Early screening helps prevent severe jaundice caused by HDFN

  Early transcutaneous bilirubin screening helps identify newborns at risk for dangerous jaundice related to HDFN before symptoms worsen.

• Extending anti-D protection into late pregnancy may reduce risks

  Many RhD-negative pregnant women lose detectable anti-D protection before delivery, which may leave a small window of risk for HDFN.

• New evidence shows RhIG may be unnecessary in pregnancy before 12 weeks

  Conflicting guidance on RhD immune globulin is giving way to clearer recommendations that may spare many patients unnecessary treatment.

• AI tool enhances detection of hidden RhD variants

  Researchers used AI-enhanced methods to identify rare noncoding RhD variants that could affect the severity of HDFN.

• Expanded fetal RhD testing could improve safety for patients

  More precise fetal RHD genotyping can help prevent HDFN and reduce avoidable anxiety, monitoring and treatment.

• Rare genetic deletion triggers severe newborn anemia in twins

  A rare genetic deletion in a blood group gene caused hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) in twin infants.