Can a person with O negative and a person with A negative blood have children?

Answer 1

Yes they can. The type of the blood (e.g., A, B, O, AB) is not really the problem that can exist when the blood types of a mother and father are incompatible. Instead it is the Rh factor which is documented as the negative or positive part of the blood type. Both partners with negative or both with positive blood types do not have any problem from incompatibility. And if the mother is positive and the father is negative the Rh problem is also not in play.

But, when a woman has negative Rh and her mate is positive for the Rh factor, then there is a chance that the baby will inherit the positive Rh from the father. The mother's body will then not recognize the blood of the infant as "normal" and will try to get rid of it as a foreign substance when a little of the baby's blood enters into the mother's system. The mother's immune system develops antibodies which attack the blood of the baby. The baby can then have a break down of the red blood cells which results in anemia, and in extreme cases, the result can be a hemolytic disease that can cause brain damage and perhaps death.

Even when the mother has a negative blood type and the father has a positive blood type, it is possible when determined in advance to give treatment that can avoid the problem, so this does not require the couple to avoid having children, just that they have good prenatal care.