Welcome to another lesson covering Prenatal Care in Spanish. To make this lesson, Eliza and I used information from the NIH website in Spanish: ¿Qué ocurre durante las visitas prenatales?

We are going to talk about Rh factor and why some women receive an injection of immunoglobulin against Rh factor during their pregnancy. In this introductory lesson, we will practice interpreting from Spanish into English. In the premium lesson, we break down the vocabulary and key grammar points and then practice interpreting everything back into Spanish.

Members: Access the premium lesson: PN11 Rh Factor in Spanish – Prenatal Care Vocab Builder

LEVEL – ADVANCED

Table of Contents

• 1:14 Blood Tests 
• 1:47 Rh Factor 
• 2:09 When Special Care Is  Required
• 2:38 Antibodies 
• 4:03 Injection of Immunoglobulin 
• 4:41 In Simpler Terms

Blood Tests

Vamos a hacerle exámenes de sangre para comprobar su tipo de sangre y para ver si usted usted tiene una proteína que se llama el factor Rh.

We are going to run blood tests to determine your blood type and to see if you have a protein called Rh factor.

Rh Factor

 El factor Rh se encuentra en los glóbulos rojos.

Rh factor is found on red blood cells.

When Special Care Is Required

Si usted no tiene el factor Rh pero lo tiene el padre, el embarazo necesita de cuidados especiales.

If you don’t have Rh factor but the father does, your pregnancy will require special care.

Antibodies

Si la madre es Rh negativo y el feto es Rh positivo, la madre podría producir anticuerpos contra el factor Rh al exponerse a los glóbulos rojos del bebé.

If the mother is Rh negative and the fetus is Rh positive, the mother could make antibodies against Rh factor when exposed to the baby’s red blood cells.

 Estos anticuerpos destruyen los glóbulos rojos al exponerse a la sangre del bebé.

These antibodies destroy the red blood cells when exposed to the baby’s blood.

Injection of Immunoglobulin

Por eso, le aplicarán una inyección de inmunoglobulina contra el factor Rh para que no produzca anticuerpos.

Therefore, you will be given an injection of immunoglobulin against Rh factor to ensure that you do not make antibodies.

OJO: PARA QUE is a conjunction that is always followed by the subjunctive. Practice using conjunction that require the subjunctive: Subj10 Subjunctive Required and Subj11 Subjunctive Required. (You must have a Spanish Grammar membership to access these lessons.)

In Simpler Terms

Si usted es Rh negativo y el bebé es Rh positivo, podría traer algunos problemas al bebé si la sangre se mezclara.

If you are Rh negative and your baby is Rh positivo, it could cause problems for the baby if your blood were to mix.

OJO: So here we are we are speaking hypothetically. We use the conditional (podría traer problemas) and then the imperfect subjunctive following “si”(si la sangre se mezclara). Practice more If, Then Statements Quiz #5 The Subjunctive in Conditional Statements and More

Por eso, le aplicarán una inyección para proteger al bebé.

Therefore, you will be given an injection to protect the baby.

Gracias por escuchar.

Become a Member

In our premium lessons, we review the vocabulary and break things down until we are able to interpret everything fluently back into Spanish. Sign up for membership at docmolly.com. This lesson is available under the Medical Spanish and Women’s Health memberships.

Related Lessons

• More Spanish for Prenatal Care
• Insulin Instruction

Special thanks to my teacher, Elizabeth Cortez from the San Pedro Spanish School who provided most of the Spanish for this audio lesson.

The lessons offered at docmolly.com are a fun way to practice medical Spanish. They are not intended to teach medicine or provide medical advice. These lessons are intended to improve communication with Spanish-speaking patients, but they are not intended to substitute for a qualified medical interpreter.