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How To Know Your Blood Type? – Ways To Be Sure

Even though every blood type is made from similar basic elements, it doesn’t mean they are alike. Every blood type is unique. This article will explain to you as to how to know your blood type. Before I explain you about it, let me introduce you a few things as it is must for me to tell you.

Different Types Of Blood

How To Know Your Blood Type

There are 8 types of blood and 4 main blood groups. They are determined by the absence or presence of some antigens.

1. Group A = It has only antigen A on the red cells (& antibody B in plasma)

2. Group B = It has only antigen B on the red cells (& antibody A in plasma)

3. Group AB = It has only A & B on the red cells (neither antibody A nor B in plasma)

4. Group O = It has neither A nor B antigens on the red cells (both antibody A & B is in plasma)

For a safer transfusion, there are certain ways for the blood types to be matched. Just see the below diagram to know better

How To Know Your Blood Type

Apart from the antigens A & B, there is 3rd antigen known as Rh factor. This can either be absent (-) or present (+). Generally, the Rh-negative type of blood will be given to the Rh-negative patients whereas Rh-positive type of blood will be given to the Rh-positive patients.

Blood Types & The Human Population

The most common type of blood in humans is “O positive”. Not all the ethnic groups will have a similar mix of blood types. For instance, Hispanic people have higher O’s whereas Asians have higher B’s. The mixture of various types of blood in the US population is listed in the below table

 

African Americans

Caucasians

Asians

Hispanic

O +

47%

37%

39%

53%

O –

4%

8%

1%

4%

A +

24%

33%

27%

29%

A –

2%

7%

0.5%

2%

B +

18%

9%

25%

9%

B –

1%

2%

0.4%

1%

AB +

4%

3%

7%

2%

AB –

0.3%

1%

0.1%

0.2%

How To Know Your Blood Type?

If you are curious about how to know your blood type, read further. You may require knowing this information for certain medical reasons; learn more on your body or get your international visa. You can even guess your blood type depending on the type of your parents’ blood but if you want to be 100% sure, you certainly require taking a blood test. Learn the various ways to find the blood type.

1. Ask Your Physician To Take A Blood Test

So, how to know your blood type? This is by taking a blood test. If the physician already got your type of blood in a file, then all you need to do is ask. There is no need to go with tests. The physician will have your file and other details recorded only if you have already been treated/tested with something in the same hospital. On the other hand, if there is no information about the blood type in your file then it needs to be tested. They will take little blood and test in lab in order to determine its type.

2. Buy Blood Testing Kit

If you don’t want to go to a hospital to have the blood test done there is an alternative way too. It can be done at home and for this, you will have to buy a blood testing kit or comprehensive Health Test Panel for better result. You can purchase them online or any medical store you know. The kits will usually come with test card and finger prick. Just dispense 1 drop of blood into each field of the test card. If suppose the kit does not come with a prick, make use of a sterilized needle to have your finger pricked. Fields on test card have antibodies that provoke a reaction along with antigens in your RBCs (Red Blood Cells). Now, make use of a toothpick for every field for mixing the blood along with impregnation while creating a dime-sized smear.

  • In case you have the “A” blood type, then clumping appears in the fields – Anti-A
  • In case you have the “B” blood type, then clumping appears in the fields – Anti-B
  • In case you have the “AB” blood type, then clumping appears in the fields – Anti-A & Anti-B
  • In case you have the “O” blood type, then clumping will not appear

3. Donate Blood

Yet another answer for the question of how to know your blood type can be when you donate your blood to someone or for a cause. Look for a local blood donation center and enter in. Then ask the staff to have the tests done in order to know your blood type and then you can have donated too.

4. Look For Blood Calculator Online

This is one of the best ways to know your blood type. However, to make use of the online blood calculators, you certainly require knowing your parents’ type. The possible blood combinations are listed below

  • parent * O parent – O child
  • parent * A parent – A/O child
  • parent * B parent – B/O child
  • parent * AB parent – A/B child
  • A parent * A parent – A/O child
  • A parent * B parent – A/B/AB/O child
  • A parent * AB parent – A/B/AB child
  • B parent * B parent – B/O child
  • B parent * AB parent – A/B/AB child
  • AB parent * AB parent – A/B/AB child

How The Blood Test Is Being Performed

Once you decide to give your blood to find out your blood group type, you need to give sample blood. The process to determine your blood group is called ABO typing. The sample blood is getting mixed with the antibodies. It is done against the A & B type blood. They see whether the blood sample is sticking together with A & B type. If they stick, it means the sample blood is reacted to one of those antibodies.

Next step is known with the name of back typing. In this process, your sample blood cells without cells ( Known as serum) is mixed with A-type and  B type. If your blood is type A means,  your blood would have anti-B antibodies. If your blood is B type you would have anti-A antibodies. O type blood would have both of these antibodies.

The given above 2 steps can specifically identify the blood type of yours. Another method Rh typing make use of another similar method to ABO typing. So when the blood typing is performed to see whether you have an Rh factor in your blood, the most expected result would be one of the following

Rh+ (It denotes your blood will have “Cell surface protein”)

Rh- (It denotes your blood will not have “Cell surface protein”)

I hope the information on how to know your blood type has helped you. Feel free to drop your comments.

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