Table 3.

Studies of the effectiveness of anti-D prophylaxis for prevention of postnatal sensitization in Rhesus negative women

Study	Design	Population receiving anti-D prophylaxis	Dose	Outcome	Sensitizations/total		Log-odds-ratio	Variance of log-odds-ratio
					Treated	Control
Bowman et al. (1978)	Non-randomized, historical controls	Unsensitized pregnant Rhesus negative women	1500 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization during pregnancy or within 3 days of delivery	0/1357	62/3533	−3.89	2.02
Hermann et al. (1984)	Non-randomized, historical controls	Unsensitized pregnant Rhesus negative women	1250 IUs at 32–34 weeks	Sensitization at 8 months postpartum	2/529	10/645	−1.42	0.60
Huchet et al. (1987)	Quasi-randomized study (allocation based on year of birth)	Pregnant Rhesus negative primiparae†	500 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization at 2–12 months postpartum	1/472	7/468	−1.97	1.15
Lee and Rawlinson (1995)	Randomized trial	Rhesus negative primigravidae‡	250 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization at 6 months postpartum	3/361	6/405	−0.58	0.51
MacKenzie et al. (1999)	Non-randomized, contemporary controls	Rhesus negative unsensitized primiparae†	500 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization in a subsequent pregnancy	12/3320	26/3146	−0.83	0.12
Mayne et al. (1997)	Non-randomized, historical controls	Rhesus negative primigravidae‡	500 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization in a subsequent pregnancy	4/1425	16/1426	−1.39	0.31
Tovey et al. (1983)	Non-randomized, historical controls	Rhesus negative primigravidae†	500 IUs at 28 and 34 weeks	Sensitization in a subsequent pregnancy	2/325	22/582	−1.85	0.55
Trolle (1989)	Non-randomized, historical controls	Unsensitized pregnant Rhesus negative women	1500 IUs at 28 weeks	Sensitization at 10 months postpartum	0/291	6/322	−2.48	2.16

^†Primipara: a woman who has given birth for the first time to an infant or infants, alive or stillborn (after 20 weeks’ gestation).

^‡Primigravida: a woman who is pregnant for the first time.