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What blood type are you? Chances are, you likely do not know but it is definitely something you should look into. Blood types can be a pretty confusing topic for some. Especially when the question of blood donation or transfusion comes into play. Let us delve deeper into this topic and learn more about our blood types.
Do You Know Your Blood Type?
It is a common occurrence in that people are less aware about blood types than they should be. This is completely normal. Unless the situation arises, you probably would not need to know anyways, right? Probably true, and yes, doctors do perform a quick blood test before performing surgery but in cases of dire emergencies, they would likely give you an O- blood transfusion since it is the universal donor type that can be accepted by anyone of any other blood type. In some circumstances, this may not be advisable so it is always good to be able to inform your doctor, medical personnel and family members about your own blood type.
Image courtesy of: Davidicke
How Do You Identify Your Blood Type?
There are a few ways in which you can find out what type of blood runs through your veins. One of them is the obvious choice which would be to go for a blood test, specifically to find out your type or to go for health screenings that test for blood types by default. Another method is to look into your parents’ blood types and try to figure out the possibilities on your own. There are higher chances that your parents would know theirs, so ask them! Also, it’s always better to know theirs for emergency purposes and even to find out if you can donate to them or vice versa. Below is a table to help you out.
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Why Do You Need to Know Your Blood Type?
As mentioned earlier, there are a host of reasons to be aware of blood types of not only your own but also the people closest to you. One of them is blood donation. Usually, before you can donate blood, for the first time, the medical personnel involved will collect a sample and test it. Afterwards, they will give you a card stating your blood type to ensure future donations go smoothly.
Another reason to know family members’ blood types is to be able to identify who can donate to whom in case of an emergency. For example, in my family, my parents are types A+ and B+ while my sister and I are both O+. This ultimately means that as siblings, my sister and I could donate to one another. However, it also means that our parents cannot donate blood to us but on the flip side, we can donate to both of them. Here’s a chart for you guys to check out:
Image courtesy of: knowyourblood.com
What Do The Positive and Negative Signs Imply?
Now, you are probably wondering what those signs indicate. Those signs are an indication of the presence and absence of what is known to be the Rhesus (Rh) factor. The absence of this factor means that you are “-” while the presence of it on your red blood cells mean that you are “+”. And what is the importance in knowing that you ask? Well, merely by looking at the chart above, you will be able to see that not all O blood types are able to donate to just anyone. The same goes across the chart where you can see a pattern. A pattern indicating that iF a “+” blood typed person is only able to donate to fellow “+” blood typed people whereas those without the Rhesus factor will be able to donate to both “-” and “+” blood types.
Credits: Know your Blood, Labtest Diagnostics
by Thiiban
Ambiverted thinker with a big heart and big dreams. Chronically clumsy but always emotionally aware. I truly believe that with every great opportunity comes great responsibility to do great things. View all articles by Thiiban.
