Cheapest way to find out blood group?

ripplyuk

My mum has always said I'm rhesus negative like her and that it's important because if I was given blood in an emergency, they often use O-positive which would be dangerous for me. However, my dad was not rhesus negative and my mum isn't 100% certain so I asked my doctor but they said they don't know and can't test for it (despite the fact that I have regular blood tests for a long term condition). The private clinics seem to charge around £80 - £100 for this test. I've seen home testing kits online for around £10 and was wondering if these are a waste of money? Is there anywhere else I could get tested for cheaper?

debsy42

Have a read here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion hopefully it will give you a better understanding of how the process works and how they treat emergency cases

or you could sign up to be a blood donor and find out for free

Flugelhorn

There is no real need to know your blood group, in an emergency O neg blood is given but that is a very rare event as usually a rapid x-match can be done to get a better match.

Philippa36

As above - go give blood, they're desperate and you will find out your blood group for free. Otherwise its a hefty £100+ charge from your GP!

Tigsteroonie

Debsy42 had the same thought as me - go and become a blood donor, you eventually get a card that tells you what you are! Costs nothing ...

I'm A+

ripplyuk

I'm not able to donate blood. I'm sure in an emergency they'd try to check first but I know rhesus negative is rare so they may not have enough. I'm also just really curious which is why I was thinking of these kits.

debsy42

I'm a donor and am O+, don't worry about blood stocks, of course they will have enough for emergencies (thanks to people like me and Tigsteroonie), check blood stock levels http://www.blood.co.uk/about-blood/stock-levels-statistics/

I think you're getting yourself in a flap over nothing about the rhesus negative, they would check your blood group not just "try". If you are at deaths door then you can be given (I think) O negative which is a universal blood.

Remember mums are great but they don't always know everything

whitewing

http://www.yourparenting.co.za/pregnancy/your-bump/checks-and-tests/positive-or-negative-what-are-you

According to this if there is a parent +ve and a parent -ve then the offspring will be +ve.

ripplyuk

My mum had to have anti - D injections with her pregnancies and she says she was told when we were rhesus negative after we were born. She can't remember exactly but thinks all but one of us is rhesus negative. Maybe she's wrong about my dad's blood type.

debsy42

I just googled and found this link about O neg blood http://www.blood.co.uk/about-blood/blood-group-basics/o-neg/ (this is really aimed at donors but good information for everyone)

Hopefully you can try to stop worrying yourself and spending money that you don't need to

Ms_Chocaholic

How old are you? When my son was born they checked his blood group at birth and told me, and I've passed on the details to him.

The link Whitewing provided is correct (in my case anyway), one parent -ve, one parent +ve, child +ve