Not a very common practice, but to some intended parent(s) blood typing is important to them when selecting an egg donor to cycle with. When selecting a specific blood type it is important to remember that children do not necessarily inherit the same blood type as their biological parents. The reason blood typing is important to some then others is that intended parents might chose not to disclose to their child that they used an egg donor. They may also want to work with a donor that would hopefully allow them to have a child with their blood type so that if the child would ever need a blood transfusion that the intended parent would be the first to be able to donate.
Another important factor to consider when turning to egg donation to create or expand your family is whether the donor is a negative or positive blood type. The donor’s blood type may be medically important to consider if the mother is Rh negative (Rh-), i.e. A negative, AB negative, etc….. These women may develop antibodies to a fetus that is Rh positive as a result of the donor being Rh positive (Rh+). Antibodies develop as a result of inadequate administration of a drug called rhogram when an ectopic or miscarriage occurs. Situations like this are very rare nowadays as the medical community is aware of proper rhogam administration when the mother is blood type negative. A way to completely avoid this situation is to choose a donor who’s blood type is negative when the mother is known to be Rh negative.
Remember when doing blood typing the child(ren) do not necessarily inherit the same exact blood type as their biological parents anyway. Please review the chart below and consult with your reproductive endocrinologist.
If the couple’s blood type are: The child(ren)’s blood group would be:
Possible Impossible
O and O O A,B, or AB
O and A O or A B or AB
O and B O or B A or AB
O and AB A or B O and AB
A and A O and A B and AB
A and B O, A, B, or AB None
A and AB A, B, or AB O
B and B O or B A or AB
B and AB A, B, or AB O
AB and AB A, B, or AB O
