Know blood type, clinical test, donate blood, at-home test for results.
Knowing your blood type is important for numerous reasons. It can be vital to understanding your health, including your heart health, and can save you in an emergency situation. There are three main ways to determine your blood type: a clinical test, donating blood, and an at-home test.
A clinical test involves drawing a blood sample and performing two tests on it. Forward typing is when the blood sample is mixed with antibodies against type A and B blood. Reverse typing is when the blood sample without red blood cells is mixed with type A and type B blood cells.
Donating blood is an easy and free way to determine blood type, but results are not immediate. With at-home kits, you can determine blood type in the comfort of your own home in just a few minutes. You will start by wiping your finger with an alcohol wipe and then pricking your finger 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.
It is important to know your blood type, as it can be a key factor in understanding your health and can save your life in an emergency. Knowing your blood type is relatively simple and you have several options to find out.
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