There are various reasons you may need to blood group test. For example, you may want to know what type of blood you can receive if you ever needed a blood transfusion– If you had group A blood, you can receive group A and O blood; If you had group B blood, you can receive group B and O blood; If you had group O blood, you can only receive group O blood. As you can see, whatever blood group you are, you can receive group O blood. Type O blood contains both types of antibodies. Your blood type is based on whether or not certain proteins are on your red blood cells. These proteins are called antigens. Your blood type (or blood group) depends on what types your parents passed down to you. It takes two days to get the result
Blood is often grouped according to the ABO blood typing system. The 4 major blood types are:
- Type A
- Type B
- Type AB
- Type O
Blood group is essential during pregnancy
Blood group testing is especially important during pregnancy. If a mother is found to be Rhesus negative, the father should also be tested. If the father has Rhesus positive blood, the mother will need to receive treatment with anti–D gamma globulin at around 28 weeks of pregnancy (some also are given another at 34 weeks of pregnancy). This helps prevent the mother’s immune system from producing antibodies that can attack the baby. Parents to be may also want to check their Rhesus status before conceiving in order to ascertain their Rhesus status early.
If you are Rhesus positive, you can receive Rhesus positive or Rhesus negative blood. But if you are Rhesus negative, you can only receive Rhesus negative blood.
Why it’s important to know blood group
If you travel overseas carrying a blood group card could prove invaluable. Accidents and other emergencies can often be dealt with more efficiently knowing the blood group of the person or persons involved. If you or a member of your family, required an urgent blood transfusion it would be useful to know your blood group in advance. If it was an uncommon group, it would allow the hospital valuable time to ensure adequate supplies.
