Knowing your blood group is important in two very specific cases:in the event of pregnancy (to check that the blood group of the mother and that of the baby are compatible) and before surgery, as part of the preoperative assessment. Indeed, in case of transfusion, it will be necessary to opt for a compatible blood. In these two cases, a doctor will issue you a medical prescription allowing you to be reimbursed for the examination. The blood group of the donor is also checked when donating blood.
To determine a person's blood group, and therefore establish a blood group card, it is necessary to take two blood samples at two different times. These can be done in a medical laboratory, in the hospital... You don't have to be fasting to take this blood test.
There are four main blood groups:A, B, AB and O. They indicate the presence or absence of certain antigens and antibodies on the surface of red blood cells. Thus, people from group A have only A antigens, those from group B only have B antigens, those from group AB have both antigens, and those from group O have no antigens, but two types of antibodies. Another category, Rhesus, makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of another antigen:we speak of Rhesus + when it is present, and of Rhesus – when it is absent. You should also know that a person's blood type is actually determined by that of their parents:if both parents are A, the child will be A; if one is A and the other B, the child will be AB; if one is A and the other O, the child will be A; if both parents are O, the child will be O…
