How do I find out what blood type I am?

Random

Is it as simple as contacting any hospital or doctor who's ever taken blood from me and asking them what's on their file?

Thanks

emmiou

Become a regular blood donor. Your blood would not have been grouped for standard blood tests through your doctor unless specifically requested.

Capt'n Midnight

That would be an ecumenical a medical issue
or perhaps a freedom of information issue.

The nicest way would be to donate a pint.
And it's free
Actually they give you chocolate bars and bags of crisps
*me gets excitable because will be getting those freebies myself next week*


While it's rightly forbidden to donate to get health checked I'm sure they wouldn't mind if telling what kind of blood you donated, if they don't tell you there and then it will be printed on the card they post out to you.


BTW
I did one of those self tests in college and it while it got the ABO group right it gave the wrong Rhesus result

Bloody Nipples

If you donate blood you'll get a card with your blood type on it AND priority on blood in the event of a shortage.

Random

Donating blood isn't an option for various reasons.

The question was more out of curiosity than anything else. Something so simple yet I don't know what blood type I am.

GLaDOS

I donated blood in college awhile ago and didn't find out

alexlyons

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I donated blood in college awhile ago and didn't find out

Your a "ScienceNerd" you should know

darjeeling

You can buy self-test kits for not all that much. They're really only for personal curiosity; if you ever needed to know your blood type for medical reasons, you'd be tested then.

I had a blood type test years ago for a medical. I got an A+, which I take to be the best. :pac:

I would give blood, only I'm considered to be riddled with BSE and Thatcherism, and a menace to the public health.

adamski8

Bloody Nipples wrote: »

If you donate blood you'll get a card with your blood type on it AND priority on blood in the event of a shortage.

do u really? link?

Mrmoe

Before I ever donated blood (from which you will be issued a card that will have your blood type on it) I went to my GP and requested that a blood sample be taken. I needed this for medical reasons. He obliged and I got the results back within a week. You could probably use one of those self test kits. I do not know if they are as reliable as getting them tested by your doctor/hospital lab. Just make an appointment with your GP and tell him basically what is in your first post.

Columbia

You can go to your GP and they'll take a sample (a surprisingly large sample, I had been expecting a pin prick on my finger!), you'll get it back in a couple of weeks.

Mind, there are many, many better things to spend your money on...

adamski8

Bloody Nipples wrote: »

If you donate blood you'll get a card with your blood type on it AND priority on blood in the event of a shortage.

Also this seems very unfair as alot of people can't give blood through no fault of theire own

wayhey

adamski8 wrote: »

Also this seems very unfair as alot of people can't give blood through no fault of theire own

I can confirm this happens adamski8, I'm a donor... and it's not like they force you or give out to you if you can't make a donation..

adamski8

wayhey wrote: »

I can confirm this happens adamski8, I'm a donor... and it's not like they force you or give out to you if you can't make a donation..

I dont see what the above has to do with what im talking about really, i know they dont force people and i know its the opposite really, if they dont feel you can give blood eg. if your taking antibiotics, travelled to a malaria region recently etc etc they won't let you give blood! (anyway i wasn't talking about that)

Anyway my point is that there are many reasons a person can't give blood ever even if they would like to!
I think its very unfair if donors are given preference over these people
A donation should not come with conditions that the donor get a benefit.
Doesn't sound ethical to me at all.

Btw how do you know this is true?

Capt'n Midnight

adamski8 wrote: »

if they dont feel you can give blood eg. if your taking antibiotics, travelled to a malaria region recently

one year for visiting a malaria area

Anyway my point is that there are many reasons a person can't give blood ever even if they would like to!
I think its very unfair if donors are given preference over these people
A donation should not come with conditions that the donor get a benefit.
Doesn't sound ethical to me at all.

Btw how do you know this is true?

rules change, for a long time I could not give blood, now I can.


IIRC it wasn't that you got preference for blood but that you got it free so lower bills later on

Maybe they could have a pyramid scheme where if you can convince more people to donate you go up the ladder

adamski8

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

one year for visiting a malaria area


rules change, for a long time I could not give blood, now I can.


IIRC it wasn't that you got preference for blood but that you got it free so lower bills later on

Maybe they could have a pyramid scheme where if you can convince more people to donate you go up the ladder

ok i probably shouldn't have given the malaria example but that was to illustrate a different point!
How about this:
You should never give blood if:
You have ever had syphilis, HTVL (Human T - lymphotorpic virus), hepatitis B or C or think you may have hepatitis now
You're a man who's had sex with another man, even safe sex using a condom.
You've ever worked as a prostitute.
You've ever injected yourself with drugs - even once.


Its fundamentality a bad idea that the more you give(or give at all) leads to you benefitting in some way. This has the possiblilty that people will lie about things such as previously injecting drugs to give blood etc etc.


I still only hear very flimsy antidotal evidence about this blood preference scheme.

Tree

There is solely an altruistic (and free food) benefit to donating blood. No preference for donors.


As mentioned, giving blood is the best way to find out because you will benefit others.

If you want to know your group, you will have to request it from your gp. It's not a test that is done normally when bloods are sent in. It's generally only done for potential/actual reciept of blood units, donors, ante-natal screening, and high risk sports like rally driving.

There's no actual medical benefit to knowing your type if you're not pregnant or likely to receive blood. So your doctor may not be willing to send in such a sample.

Random

Thanks guys.