My PhD Experience…

It is a matter of advocacy that I give a brief review of the subject-matter of my PhD research. One thing you learn at PhD is how simple and particularirstic you must become as a researcher at choosing your research interest. It is often not as complex as the rigour required suggests.

My Dissertation focused on assessing the level of awareness and knowledge of Rhesus incompatibility (Rh Factor) amongst women of reproductive age in Southeast, Nigeria. I had initially added “as a determinant of perinatal mortality” but later expunged it because it would significantly alter my study design. And this is where I rue the paucity of data on critical subject matters in Nigeria. But, again, it is a conversation for another day.

The Rhesus factor is one phenomenon with major consequence on transfusion and obstetrics medicine. A poor awareness and knowledge was established amongst women of reproductive age in the study area, wherein majority of those sampled had no knowledge or even aware of the phenomenon. In a nutshell, the typology of blood groupings not only matter in blood transfusion it is much more important for sexually active adults to become conscious of their Rhesus as this would determine so much on procreational needs of the adult (couple).

Rhesus factor has to do with the presence of a protein pigment on the surface of the red blood cell — where it is present, the carrier is said to be Rhesus positive, and when it is absent they are Rhesus negative. Just as it would result in haemolysis if you transfuse unmatched bloods, when two adults with conflicting Rhesus mate to procreate, it can result in hemolytic disease of the newborn. This particularly affects subsequent pregnancies after the very first one where the Rh immunoglobulin injection (a.k.a rhogam) is not administered on the woman.

While it is important to avoid genotypical complications in negotiating a live partner, it is also important to know the Rhesus factor of your partner (ie. Blood group) of your partner. Many who have taken this for granted, especially the women have encountered recurrent pregnancy loses (RPL), neonatal morbidities or mortalities, and in extreme cases, inability to even conceive after the first child. Another sad reality is that rhogam is NOT cheap in Nigeria. Your health officer may not even remember to tell you about it at antenatal or after any invasive procedure. It is good you know this today and be able to take active steps to forestalling it. Luckily, it is not a fatal condition, but can result in avoidable fatalities if not properly handled. Therefore, before you make that decision to be pregnant, try to know the Rhesus of your partner, to avoid blaming village people if you can’t conceive a second time or have a successful life birth after your first conception or delivery. That serial loss of babies in the early days of neonatality is not because the child is an “Ogbanje or Abiku”. It may just be Rhesus incompatibility between you and your partner that has sensitized your antibodies. So, check it!

The nearest you would understand Medical Sociology is that it is a sub-field of Sociology that the Medical practitioners are trying to usurp under the guise of “public health” — this conversation would happen some other time. But, simply put, medical Sociology argues that beyond the biomedical etiology of diseases there are overriding social, cultural and economic dimensions to the onset of both health and illness.

— Mazi Ejimofor Opara PhD.