It's Quick and Easy to Check Your Blood Type. Here's How I Found Out Mine
At the time, I was about 99% certain my blood type was O-positive, but I wanted to confirm for sure ... and realized I didn't know how to do that.
CNET
First, I called my mom to see if it was listed on my birth certificate -- it wasn't. Then I checked my doctor's online health portal -- nope. That's when I realized a lot of people probably don't know their blood type, which could be a big problem in an emergency.
Your blood type matters more than you might think. It can affect everything from your risk for certain conditions to how your body handles a blood transfusion. If you're not sure of your blood type, there are a few easy ways to find out. Trust me, it's worth knowing.
This whole experience started me wondering: How does someone find out what their blood type is if they don't already know? The good news is that finding out your blood type is relatively simple, and you have multiple options for doing so. Below are three easy ways to find out your basic blood type.
Blood type basics
Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative. But what determines blood type and what does that blood type mean?
Blood types are determined by antigens -- a substance that triggers an immune response -- on the surface of red blood cells. There are ABO antigens, which designate ABO blood types. This is determined by the ABO gene. For example:
Type A blood type has the A antigen
blood type has the A antigen Type B blood type has the B antigen
blood type has the B antigen Type AB blood type has both the A and B antigen
blood type has both the A and B antigen Type O doesn't produce any A or B antigen
There are also Rhesus (Rh) antigens, which determine if blood is "positive" or "negative."
If you have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you are Rh positive (like me and about 80% of the population). If you don't have Rh proteins on the surface of your red blood cells, you have negative blood.
Blood type is categorized into one of these eight groups: A-positive, A-negative, B-positive, B-negative, O-positive, O-negative, AB-positive and AB-negative.
Ekachai Lohacamonchai/EyeEm/Getty Images
How to find your blood type?
Here's three main ways to type your blood:
Have your doctor do a blood test
Donate blood
Use an at-home blood test
1. Clinical test
One of the easiest and most effective ways to determine your blood type is to have your doctor perform a test. A professional will draw blood and then perform two tests on the blood sample: forward typing and reverse typing.
During forward typing, the blood sample is mixed with antibodies against type A and B blood. Based on whether the blood cells stick together when mixed with the antibodies, your blood type can be determined from there. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type B blood, you have type B blood. If your blood cells stick together when mixed with antibodies against type A blood, you have type A blood.
To confirm the result, the next step is reverse typing, meaning the blood sample without red blood cells -- called a serum -- is mixed with type A and type B blood cells. Type A blood will have antibodies against Type B blood in the sample and type B blood will have antibodies against Type A blood. Type O blood will contain antibodies against Type A and Type B. So, if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type B blood cells, you have type A blood, and if sticking occurs when the serum is mixed with type A blood cells, you have type B blood.
I recommend calling your doctor's office to see what a blood type test costs out-of-pocket and if it's covered by insurance.
2. Donate blood
This is an easy -- and free -- way to determine blood type, but results are not immediate.
If you donate to a blood drive, you can simply ask the staff about your blood type. Blood usually is not tested right away, so it may take up to a few weeks to get the results.
With at-home kits, you can determine your blood type in just a few minutes.
EldonCard
3. At-home blood test
At-home tests are relatively straightforward. You will usually start by wiping your finger with an alcohol wipe and then be required to prick your finger with a disposable lancet to draw blood. Then, you will wipe blood on the provided card. Depending on how the blood dries, clumps or spreads, you will be able to compare your blood stain to a results card. Within minutes, you'll be able to determine your blood type.
For more, try these seven methods for sneaking more exercise into your daily routine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
27 minutes ago
- CBS News
Menopause retreat helps new generation of women find relief and cope with stigmas: "We're suffering silently and that's not OK"
Monica Conn, 53, describes menopause as "hot flashes, anxiety, night sweats, irritability." Instead of continuing to suffer silently through the brutal hormonal transition that 47 million women experience annually around the world, Conn has decided to do—and say—something about it. "I want to take away an attitude that I'm looking forward to my next chapter and not that something has just ended," Conn said. She signed up for the Canyon Ranch Health Spa's M/Power program, a four-day holistic menopause retreat in the Massachusetts Berkshires that promises relief, education and counseling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines menopause as "when menstrual periods stop permanently for at least 12 months," and common symptoms echo Conn's description: hot flashes, trouble sleeping, mood swings and memory problems, to name a few. M/Power's menopause and perimenopause retreats offer respite and resolve from symptoms through activities like yoga, weight training, cold plunges and more. For a long time, women have been suffering in silence about the impact symptoms have on their daily lives. "I'm learning here at Canyon Ranch that I don't know how much training our doctors even get," Conn said, adding, "the mental health component of it, how to address that, how healthy, basic foods can help you get through the day and how they affect your metabolism and your anxiety." Another aspect of the M/Power retreat is medical diagnosis, which includes blood work, hormone panels, and a DEXA body scan, which can assess things like fat composition and bone density. Dr. Jennifer Baker-Porazinski explained that a lack of estrogen, which plummets in women during menopause, causes bone density to drop—putting them at higher risk for broken bones. She says that women lose around 2% of their bone density each year for around 10 to 12 years after starting menopause. Another option for women hoping to curb symptoms is hormone therapy (HRT) but some fear it because of preliminary findings that connected HRT to increased risk of breast cancer, though critics later found flaws in the research. "Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for the symptoms of menopause," said Dr. Sharon Malone, chief medical advisor for the women's telehealth platform "Alloy" and author of "Grown Woman Talk." Most doctors recommend taking hormones before turning 60, or within 10 years of starting menopause. For former TV journalist Tamsen Fadal, managing menopause is about community. She said she began experiencing her symptoms live on-air, and felt isolated, so she wrote the book "How to Menopause." It is essentially a "how-to" guide for women beginning the process of perimenopause or menopause. "I think this Gen X really kinda kicked the door down and said, 'hey, we're suffering silently and that's not OK.' There has to be some type of solution," Fadal said.
Health Line
44 minutes ago
- Health Line
Brisk Walking May Help You Live Longer, Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
A new study finds that short bouts of daily brisk walking are linked to a significantly lower risk of death. The research underscores the importance of intensity, not just duration, during daily physical activity. The study is the first to observe these health benefits in low-income, predominantly Black communities. Walking briskly for just 15 minutes a day is linked to a significantly lower risk of death than walking slowly, even for a much longer time. A new study, published on July 29 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that a faster walking pace, not just duration, may yield notable health benefits. The findings may have important implications for underserved communities. It's the first study to examine the health effects of walking pace in predominantly low-income and Black communities. The researchers said these communities often face economic barriers and are more likely to live in impoverished areas with little access to safe walking spaces. Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, the study's senior author and director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, told Healthline that the link between brisk daily walking and lower mortality risk isn't surprising. What's notable, he said, is that the benefit remains strong in communities that are typically underrepresented in research. Most previous studies have focused on white, middle- and upper-income populations. Short bouts of brisk walking could offer an accessible way for people in underserved communities to improve their health — it's low-cost, easy to do, and time-efficient. Zheng added that many people in these communities may not be able to afford a gym membership or may have a limited amount of leisure time for physical activity. 'If they can do some intensive walking, it will have a beneficial effect. One of the reasons we looked at it is because, regardless of age and fitness level, it's something most people can do,' Zheng said. Fast walking linked to 20% lower risk of death Zheng and his team examined the relationship between walking pace and death rates in 85,000 people enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study. Most participants were low-income and Black, recruited from 12 southeastern U.S. states. About half of them reported earning less than $15,000 per year. Participants self-reported lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking, alcohol use, and daily physical activity. Walking pace and duration were reported separately from other leisure-time physical activities. They were asked to estimate how many minutes per day they spent 'walking slowly' (for example, moving around the house or walking the dog) or 'walking fast' (such as climbing stairs or walking briskly). Over a 17-year follow-up period, 26,862 participants in the cohort died. When researchers compared reported walking patterns with mortality, they found that those who walked briskly for at least 15 minutes a day had nearly a 20% lower risk of death. Slow walking offered a modest benefit — a 4% reduction in mortality risk — but it required a significantly longer duration: more than three hours per day. The protective effect of walking was more strongly associated with a reduced number of deaths from cardiovascular disease compared to deaths from cancer. People with preexisting conditions — such as obesity or diabetes — saw even greater reductions in risk than healthier participants. 'This study puts further emphasis on fast-paced walking as a viable strategy to address existing health disparities and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in low-income and Black populations, which see disproportionate rates of heart disease,' said Lu Qi, MD, PhD, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor of epidemiology in the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. Qi wasn't involved in the research. How to pick up the pace Current guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Brisk walking, as long as the pace is vigorous enough, can help you meet that goal. Walking the dog or taking a leisurely stroll may not be enough to reach the moderate-intensity threshold. In recent years, both the medical and fitness communities have shown growing interest in the health benefits of higher-intensity exercise. In the gym, this might include HIIT workouts, while walking can be intensified with techniques like interval walking or 'Japanese walking.' 'While any activity is good, higher-quality activity can really pack a more powerful punch,' said Sarah F. Eby, MD, PhD, a sports medicine specialist at Mass General Brigham Sports Medicine and assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Workout intensity is subjective, but the goal of interval training is simple and widely applicable: alternate periods of higher intensity with periods of lower intensity. During a walk, this could mean switching between a slower pace and a brisk one, using your breathing as a guide to intensity. Zheng encourages everyone to 'be mindful' of their pace when they are out walking to ensure they are getting a little extra intensity. 'We walk all the time from one place to another. Increasing our pace and walking briskly during those periods not only saves time but it also offers these health benefits,' he said. However, even though walking is generally accessible, there may still be accessibility issues for some. 'The barriers to entry aren't zero. Unfortunately, folks with lower income levels tend to have less flexibility with work schedules and often live in more polluted areas that lack adequate, safe, walking infrastructure,' said Eby. She points out that there may still be opportunities for safe walking environments through participation in walking clubs or local community centers. Eby said she's even had patients tell her about doing laps in their own homes by planning indoor walking paths. 'The significant mortality benefit from regular walking demonstrated by this study highlights the need for investment in safe walkable infrastructure and considerations for workplace interventions to allow for brisk walking breaks, if even for just 15 minutes a day,' she said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boston Scientific Stock Outlook: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?
Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX), headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties globally. With a market cap of $157.9 billion, the company's products are used in interventional cardiology, cardiac rhythm management, peripheral interventions, electrophysiology, neurovascular intervention, endoscopy, and more. Shares of this medTech giant have outperformed the broader market over the past year. BSX has gained 41.7% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied nearly 16.6%. In 2025, BSX stock is up 17.5%, surpassing the SPX's 7.8% rise on a YTD basis. More News from Barchart With UnitedHealth Under DOJ Investigation, Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold UNH Stock Now? Trump Won't Take Away Tesla's Subsidies. Does That Make TSLA Stock a Safe Buy Here? Can AMD Stock Hit $210 in 2025? Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! Zooming in further, BSX's outperformance is also apparent compared to the iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (IHI). The exchange-traded fund has gained about 9% over the past year. Moreover, BSX's double-digit gains on a YTD basis outshine the ETF's 2.3% gains over the same time frame. BSX's strong performance can be credited to its robust product portfolio and dedicated global team. Key achievements in the second quarter include FDA approval for expanding the FARAPULSE PFA System, initiation of the ReMATCH IDE trial, and securing CE Mark for the WATCHMAN FLX Pro device in Europe. The company also finalized the acquisitions of Intera Oncology and SoniVie, enhancing its offerings in liver cancer and hypertension treatment technologies. On Jul. 23, BSX shares closed up more than 4% after reporting its Q2 results. Its adjusted EPS of $0.75 beat Wall Street's expectations of $0.72. The company's revenue was $5.1 billion, exceeding Wall Street forecasts of $4.9 billion. The company expects full-year adjusted EPS in the range of $2.95 to $2.99. For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect BSX's EPS to grow 18.7% to $2.98 on a diluted basis. The company's earnings surprise history is impressive. It beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters. Among the 30 analysts covering BSX stock, the consensus is a 'Strong Buy.' That's based on 27 'Strong Buy' ratings, two 'Moderate Buys,' and one 'Hold.' This configuration is more bullish than two months ago, with 26 analysts suggesting a 'Strong Buy.' On Jul. 24, Raymond James Financial, Inc. (RJF) analyst Jayson Bedford maintained a 'Buy' rating on BSX with a price target of $124, implying a potential upside of 18.2% from current levels. The mean price target of $124.53 represents an 18.7% premium to BSX's current price levels. The Street-high price target of $140 suggests an ambitious upside potential of 33.4%. On the date of publication, Neha Panjwani did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
