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Hematology

Irregular antibodies: the screen before a blood transfusion or operation

According to the NVKC, the immune system can form irregular antibodies when 'foreign' blood enters the circulation in a blood transfusion. They are antibodies against red blood cells, which according to the NVKC are normally not present in the blood.

According to the NVKC, if irregular antibodies are found, this has consequences for a blood transfusion. According to the RIVM, someone who has them notices nothing of them, and only a blood test shows them.

Certe gives no unit with the conclusion of the antibody screen and 'Negatief' (negative) as its reference.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Irregular antibodies are antibodies against red blood cells that are normally not in the blood. According to the NVKC, they can only arise from a blood transfusion or during a pregnancy.

  • For the screen for irregular antibodies, Certe gives 'Negatief' (negative) as its reference, Diagnostiek voor U 'Negatief' as its target value and Unilabs 'niet aantoonbaar' (not detectable); none of the four laboratories gives a number.
  • According to the NVKC, the test for irregular antibodies is requested before a blood transfusion or an operation that may need blood, and is part of the week-12 pregnancy screening.
  • According to the RIVM, irregular antibodies, antibodies against blood groups, are not lost again once made, and they can flare up again in a later pregnancy.

Reference Ranges

Expected result Negative

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Irregular Antibody Screening: what this test measures

According to the NVKC, the screen for irregular antibodies determines whether there are antibodies against red blood cells in the blood. Certe performs the antibody screen within, among others, the panel 'Bloedgroep + screening' (blood group plus screen), directed by its blood transfusion team.

Irregular Antibody Screening: why this value matters

According to the NVKC, irregular antibodies in a patient's blood have consequences for a blood transfusion: specially matched blood sometimes has to be selected for the patient.

Irregular Antibody Screening: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Irregular Antibody Screening: when is testing worthwhile?

According to the NVKC, the screen for irregular antibodies is requested before a blood transfusion, or before an operation in which someone may need a blood transfusion.

Irregular Antibody Screening: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

According to the NVKC, irregular antibodies are normally absent from the blood. According to Unilabs, an antibody can sink below the detection limit, the lowest level the test measures, and be boosted, that is strengthened, again after an incompatible reaction.

High Levels

When irregular antibodies are present, Unilabs has a follow-up test on the blood advised by Sanquin.

Irregular Antibody Screening: causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Blood transfusion

    A blood transfusion can bring 'foreign' blood into the circulation, against which the immune system can form irregular antibodies.

  • Pregnancy

    During pregnancy blood from the child can enter the mother's blood; if the child has a different blood group, the mother can make antibodies.

  • Rhesus D-negative or Rhesus c-negative in pregnancy

    Women who are Rhesus D-negative or Rhesus c-negative run a slightly higher chance of making antibodies against blood groups.

Irregular Antibody Screening: lifestyle and this value

Discuss a result in which irregular antibodies were found with your GP.

Irregular Antibody Screening: frequently asked questions

Why is there a test for irregular antibodies before an operation?

According to the NVKC, before an operation that may need a blood transfusion there is a test for irregular antibodies, because antibodies that are found have consequences for that transfusion.

Irregular Antibody Screening: sources

  1. NVKC, Alles over testen: Irregulaire antistoffen, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-17 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  2. RIVM, Onderzoek naar bloedgroepen en bloedgroepantistoffen, pns.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-15 (retrieved 2026) pns.nl

Tests with related values

These panels measure values from the same category as this marker.

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Medical standards

Dr. Naimi oversees the medical standards behind our content and assessments.

Medical policy
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Irregular Antibody Screening

€33,-