In rare circumstances, death of the foetus might occur with which of the below combinations of parent and child?
Rh+ father and Rh- mother
Rh+ children could be born to a Rh- woman and an Rh+ man. In such a case, the first pregnancy usually stays safe, while there could be a risk associated with the subsequent pregnancies. The reason for such sensitivity in the mother is that some of the RBCs from the developing embryo get into the bloodstream of the mother during the development, causing her to produce anti-Rh antibodies. The mother's blood does not produce the anti-Rh antibodies immediately; it takes time, by which the first foetus would have been safely delivered. However, if such a mother gets pregnant again with an Rh+ foetus, the foetus would get exposed to the anti Rh+ antibodies already produced by the mother. As a result, serious damage to the red blood cells of the foetus can occur and may lead to the death of the foetus, if left undiagnosed and untreated.