This article discusses how to know your blood type at home.
If you need to know your blood type in case of an emergency operation or donation shortage, you don’t need to schedule a blood test at your doctor’s office or lab and wait days for results.
You can get your blood test results at home by buying a test kit, pricking your finger, adding your blood to the test tester, and reading the results.
Why Should You Know Your Blood Type?
While knowing your blood type helps you understand your overall health, it is also important information to have in certain situations, such as when you have an accident and need emergency blood transfusions, Karcher said.
There are also more common situations in which healthcare providers must know your blood type:
For example, if you require surgery (which carries the risk of blood loss and needs to be replaced)
If you are planning to become pregnant (your blood type may not match the blood type of the fetus).
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Your blood type is important not only for your health but also if you are donating blood to help others, especially in areas where there is a shortage of blood.
What Are the Different Blood Types?
Here are the four major blood types you need to know:
- Type A contains the A antigen.
- Type B has the B antigen.
- Type AB has both A and B antigens.
- Type O is the world’s most common blood type and has neither antigen.
How To Know Your Blood Group At Home
Buying a Test Kit and Setting it Up
For the best price on a test kit, search online: The average cost of blood type test kits is between $100 and $200 per test kit.
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Shop around online to find the most affordable blood type test kits and make sure they’re from a reliable source.
Try to purchase blood type test kits from a doctor’s office to ensure they’re legit. Also, check who’s sending out the test kits. If it’s a hospital or lab, it’s likely a reputable source.
Time to place the kit on a flat surface: Separate all of your kit components and place them on a flat surface such as a table or countertop.
Ensure that all components are within easy reach and you have all components that should be included in the kit.
Once your test kit is opened, it must be used within 24 hours or the results may not be as precise or accurate.
Add one drop of water for each circle of the card: 1 plastic dropper to collect the water from the sink. 1 drop per circle as shown on the test card.
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Note: Do not put more than 1 drop per circle as this could affect your results. The water dilutes your blood and allows the test card to read your results more clearly.
Use an alcohol wipe to wipe your finger: Select one of the pointer fingers on 1 of the hands that will be pricked with your lancet and use an alcohol swab from the kit to clean the tip of the finger and the area around it.
Using an alcohol swab to clean your finger removes any bacteria or germs that could affect your results.
Add Blood to the Kit
The lancet in the kit can be used to prick the tip of the finger: The lancet tip should be positioned at the end of the finger.
Place your finger on the tip of the needle and hold it in place. Press the needle into your skin as hard as you can until the needle is pressed into the skin.
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You should hear a click when the needle is firmly in place. Because the needle is so small, you won’t feel a pinch.
To get blood on the fingertip, squeeze your finger: Pinch your finger between the thumb and pointer finger on your other hand, just below the area you just touched. Squeeze until a bead of blood comes up to the tip of your finger.
Transfer the blood into one of the circles using 1 of the plastic applicators provided in the kit: Your test kit comes with 4 plastic applicators. The applicators are small plastic sticks that have a scoop at the end.
Use one of the applicators to draw blood from your finger. Place the blood into one of the circles. Place your finger near the test card so you don’t have to move the applicator around too much.
Draw blood into each of the circles on the card with the remaining applicator sticks: Apply more blood to each circle using the remaining 3 applicator sticks. Use 1 applicator stick for each circle.
Do not use the same applicator stick for multiple circles as this could affect your results. Use the same applicator in each circle that corresponds to the other circles to avoid mixing.
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Getting Your Results
The plastic applicators are used to mix the blood and water: Mix the blood droplets with each applicator that comes with each circle.
Do not use the same applicator for more than one circle, as this could cause your results to be skewed. Keep your blood and water inside the circles to avoid mixing.
Move the card from right to left for 10 seconds: Hold the card straight up without touching the circles of blood and water.
Move the card away from your body until it’s vertical and hold it for 10 seconds. Move it toward you so it’s vertically facing the other way.
Hold it for 10 more seconds. Tilt it very slowly so the liquid doesn’t spill out.
Examine your scores against the key provided in the test: Place the key card on top of your blood test card.
Take a look at the circles on the blood test card. Find the circles that have small specks of blood instead of pure, liquid blood.
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The key card will show you the blood type options for each of the blood types and the blood type associated with the small specks on the key card.
Compare the patterns to the blood type options on your key card.
FAQs Related To How To Know Your Blood Type At Home
How can I find out my blood type at home?
At-home blood typing tests usually involve lancing a finger and depositing drops of blood onto a pre-filled card.
After depositing the blood onto the pre-filled card, the patient can observe the spots where blood clusters or spreads, and then compare the reactions to the included guide.
What are the characteristics of the AA genotype?
The most compatible genotype is AA. A person with AA can choose a mate from almost all other genotypes with very little risk of sickle cell disease (SCD) progeny.
How can I check my blood type without a kit?
You may be able to get a blood type test by taking a saliva sample. About 80% of people make the antigens needed for a blood type test in their saliva.
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How to know your blood group without testing?
You can also ask your biological parents what their blood type is. If both of your biological parents know what your blood type is, you can enter their blood type information into your Punnett squares or blood type calculator to see what your blood type could be.
Can your self-test for blood type?
Blood typing tests can also be done at home with an at-home blood typing kit. These kits include a lancet that you can prick your finger with and a blood sample to draw.
The kit will also come with a card on which you can place the blood sample.
Should I know my own blood type?
In most cases, blood typing can help you donate safely and help others. However, it can also tell you if you are predisposed to certain diseases down the road.
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Certain blood types have been linked to blood clots, bleeding, and kidney stones in some studies.
How can I know my genotype without going to the hospital?
A skin or hair sample can also be used to determine genotype. This is how most people get the DNA test that tells you who you are related to.
However, you can get a full professional genetic test without going to the hospital.
What is the genotype of O+?
O-positive blood type does not contain antigens A or B on the surface of the red blood cells (RBCs). The O blood group contains the genotype ‘ii’.
They have the allele ‘i’, which does not produce any sugar antigen. O-positive blood contains RhD antigen or Rh factor.
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Which genotype matches AA?
AA marries an As. You will have children with AA and AS, which is a good thing.
However, if you are unlucky, all the children will be As, which restricts their choices of partners.
As an AS should not be married, there is a good chance that you will have a child with SS.
What 2 blood types are not compatible for pregnancy?
Rh incompatibility happens when the mother’s blood group is Rh negative and the fetus’ blood group is Rh positive.
Do siblings have the same blood type?
Your blood type doesn’t have to match your sibling’s blood type. Blood types, like other characteristics, are inherited from your parents.
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A parent with a blood type is likelier to have a child with a blood type. Parents with different blood types have more blood type options for their children.
Can your blood type change?
In most cases, your blood type will remain the same throughout your life. However, in rare cases, blood types can be changed.
These changes are usually due to special conditions, such as bone marrow transplants or certain types of leukemia or infections. However, not all blood type changes are permanent.
What is O-positive blood used for?
O-positive blood is essential for trauma care. Patients with O-positive blood can only have a transfusion from an O-positive blood type or an O-negative blood type.
O-positive blood is among the first blood types to run low during a blood shortage because it is in high demand.
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Which parent determines the blood type of the child?
The blood type of the baby is determined by both biological parents. But how is it possible for a mother with blood type B and a father who has blood type A to have a baby with blood type A
Which blood type is healthier?
Of the eight major blood types, Type O has the lowest risk of heart attack and blood clot formation in the legs and lungs.
People with other blood types may have higher levels of some clotting factors, proteins that make blood clot (solidify).
Which blood type has more blood?
The most common blood group by average percentage is O-positive blood type (O+)
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How long does it take to know your blood group?
4 – 45 minutes
How long does it take to know your blood type?
Conventional blood type tests take about 10 to 20 minutes to complete.
How much does it cost to get your blood type?
The cost of ABO Grouping testing ranges from $23.25 to $82.00.
What happens if you receive the wrong blood type?
Blood transfusions with the wrong blood group can lead to a life-threatening reaction.
If you have multiple blood transfusions, it is more likely that you will experience immune system reactions.
Immune system reactions cause your body to produce antibodies that attack new blood cells. However, tests can help prevent this.
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A Word From GetMe Treated
If you have no idea how to know your blood type at home, I believe now you should be able to know your blood group.
While you can perform at-home blood tests, you will have to pay for the kit, and these tests are not as accurate as the testing that you can do at the hospital.