Revised guidelines advocate two doses of anti-D immunoglobulin for antenatal prophylaxis

EDITOR—In his editorial van Dijk advocates routine antenatal prophylaxis with anti-D immunoglobulin of all pregnant women who are RhD negative and refers to the consensus conference at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh in April 1997.1 He states that two dose schedules were considered—two doses of 500 IU of anti-D immunoglobulin, one at 28 weeks' gestation and the other at 34 weeks, and one dose of 1000 IU given between 28 and 30 weeks—both options being equally effective. He implies that the second option reflects Bowman's practice in Canada.2 Bowman's programme in fact uses a dose of 1500 IU given at 28 weeks; maternal anti-D immunoglobulin concentrations are then monitored and additional anti-D immunoglobulin is given at around 36 weeks to those …