Do you know your blood type?

[AnneLovesGilbert]

DH didn’t have a clue but had a blood test at the GP today so asked in passing and was told they don’t have it on your digital records and despite having had two operations last year they don’t know. He’d never thought to ask anyone before.

I always thought mine was the same as both my parents, found out from some paperwork before a surgery it was different.

Neither of us can give blood but maybe if you can you know through that?

I'm B+, found out when pregnant

I do i found out when i was pregnant

I found mine out through giving blood.

I found mine out when I was pregnant as its negative so has some additional requirements during pregnancy.

A+ another one which found out when they gave blood..

Yes but only because I'm a blood donor

I’m O-, only found out when pregnant. All my children are A+, I only know this as they were tested when born due to complications during pregnancies.

Was on my pregnancy notes, boring a

B negative. My Mum and all my sisters have same type. It is relatively rare.

@Rosmac

If he has had two previous ops it will probably be on the hospital computer system rather than your Gp computer system. Your GP can ring up on your behalf for any result

Why would you want to bother your doctor about this?! Please don’t waste GP time just because you fancy knowing As pp have said you would be tested again even in an emergency because antibodies can develop. Otherwise you are given o- until the result is back.

Common as muck O+

Knew from blood donation, and I think it was also noted in pregnancy bloods

I got a key ring with mine (O+) on from the blood donation service so I’ve always remembered/known it since I was 18. I think O+ is the most common type.

As an aside, it’s a source of constant frustration to me that as a woman I could donate blood every 12 weeks in Scotland, but have to wait 16 weeks in England, where men can donate every 12 weeks. It means I can hardly ever go with my dad, who’s always done it as frequently as possible and always encouraged me to, because he’s on the 12 week schedule. Clearly the scientific basis for it isn’t that great or it wouldn’t be different in Scotland, and I bet more people would give blood if they could do it on the same schedule as a couple.

I know I’m the boring one that most people are in the uk.
Medical professionals always seem happy with that 😂

B+ only through giving blood, you would assume that information would be kept on your medical file though from newborn heel stick.

I'm A negative

It might not be important to know your blood group but it is important to know if you have historic antibodies because they are not always picked up by the analyser each time. If you were in an accident and needed blood in another area to your local hospital trust the hospital may not know you have these antibodies. Therefore if you are worried ring your GP you are not wasting there time.

O+ . I know because I'm a blood donor.

*their

Mine is AB+

I only found out because I went to Africa for a month and we needed pretty detailed medical documents in case we needed treatment

B+

I remember from O Level Biology that

• O is the universal donor and
• AB is the universal recipient.

U.K. blood types by percentage

•	O positive: 35%
•	O negative: 13%
•	A positive: 30%
•	A negative: 8%
•	B positive: 8%
•	B negative: 2%
•	AB positive: 2%
•	AB negative: 1%

no idea

O+ I think. It's on my blood donor card in my bag. It's the useful all rounder blood.

Yes I’m AB+ only found out when I was pregnant, universal receiver, no good for donating though.
it’s only male plasma that is required for donation so no good for that either!

It's on my blood and organ donor cards but I can't remember it

@Horehound

The kell markers (big K and little k) are just another subset of blood type. The most widely known one is the Rhesus factor. There are loads of different ones.

I now have kell antibodies due to carrying a kell positive baby, so I have to have kell negative blood if I need a transfusion.

TBH I wish I was non the wiser, DC2’s pregnancy was a nightmare. She was kell positive and I have kell antibodies that attacked her blood and resulted in had feotal anaemia. Dc2 had to have a blood transfusion through the umbilical cord and two more after birth by csection and a week in neonatal.

It’s not an issue with first babies, as the kell isn’t present, however during birth DC1 and I probably mixed our blood which introduced it into my blood and gave me the opportunity to make the antibodies that attacked DC2.

DH was heterozygous for kell (only had one of the markers out of big K and little k). It was 50/50 if DC2 had inherited it. Unlucky for them they did.

DH has had the snip, no more babies for us. It could happen in any further pregnancy and we decided it wasn’t worth the risk.