# What's your blood type? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187 "2010-11-19T03:15:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/1 "2010-11-19T03:15:13Z")
I’m O+, which is the most common blood type. I was just bitching in the Pit about how the damned Red Cross won’t leave me alone and I’m not even O-. I’m a little curious to see if a self-selected group of poll answerers comes out to roughly the population average. If you know your type, what is it? (Poll coming, keep your shorts on.) ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/2 "2010-11-19T03:34:24Z")
AB+, a rare enough blood type that blood banks seem to want it, but I can’t give blood due to the theoretical risk of Mad Cow Disease. Moo. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/3 "2010-11-19T03:35:41Z")
I’m what the pros call a “weak D”. I’m technically Rh positive, but it’s not immediately apparent and only shows up if you do a certain test. So, it ends up that I’m considered A+ as a donor but sometimes A- as a recipient, depending on how much testing is done. I never understood why my hospital records from my birth had me as Aneg but when I donated blood the card came back Apos. I chalked it up to a mistake until I went to med tech school and learned all about blood types. Then I tested my own blood and figured it out. I’m a mutant! Oh, and I don’t work for the Red Cross but I do work in a blood bank - everyone who can should donate, at least once in a while. Opos may be the most common, but by extension it’s also the most used. I had a surgical patient take 30 units in one day last week. If you’re being pestered a lot it’s probably because you’ve got a rare type (there’s way more to blood than A/B/O and Rh, you can be special for lots of other reasons) and you’re valuable! ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/4 "2010-11-19T03:43:09Z")
O+ the universal donor. When I was in the Pilippines my mother in law was hospitalized and I donated blood. She wanted to know if her eyes would turn blue. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/5 "2010-11-19T03:55:14Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > O+ the universal donor. > When I was in the Pilippines my mother in law was hospitalized and I donated blood. She wanted to know if her eyes would turn blue. 🙂 Universal donor is O-, not O+. I’m O- and usually anemic. It’s frustrating for both of us (the Red Cross and me). 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/6 "2010-11-19T04:02:53Z")
A+ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/7 "2010-11-19T04:09:05Z")
Um… O something. ::hangs head in shame:: ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/8 "2010-11-19T04:09:15Z")
AB- I didn’t get here in time to get in the poll though. I’ll be durned. After making my post the results were gone and the poll was back at the top. What gives with that? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/9 "2010-11-19T04:12:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I didn’t get here in time to get in the poll though. I’m not sure what you mean… I didn’t have any problem voting. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/10 "2010-11-19T05:45:27Z")
O+ ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/11 "2010-11-19T06:00:55Z")
> [@ryan](#): > > O+ Represent! ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/12 "2010-11-19T06:08:30Z")
Either A or AB. I don’t know if I’m Rh +/-. I don’t weigh enough to donate anyway. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/13 "2010-11-19T06:09:55Z")
I am A, the most common type in Japan. But I can’t give blood because I’m on anti-depressants. Bummer. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/14 "2010-11-19T07:21:29Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Universal donor is O-, not O+. > I’m O- and usually anemic. It’s frustrating for both of us (the Red Cross and me). 😕 I’m O- as well. It’s the duct tape of blood. Anyone can use it in a pinch. Once the Red Cross finds out, you are a marked man (or woman). ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/15 "2010-11-19T08:23:09Z")
When I was young, I couldn’t give blood because I didn’t weigh enough. Now that I do, I am wondering, if you take medication, are you allowed? oh, O+ ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/16 "2010-11-19T09:07:33Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > AB+, a rare enough blood type that blood banks seem to want it, but I can’t give blood due to the theoretical risk of Mad Cow Disease. Moo. +1 but I can donate as I live in Mad Cow land. We are rare, but the utility of our whole blood is low, as it can only be given to other AB+ers, though if I understand correctly our plasma is universal. On the plus side, in small amounts, we can take all other blood groups! Yay for being a universal receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/17 "2010-11-19T09:41:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m O+, which is the most common blood type. Aren’t both types of O extremely rare? 😕 **Antigen** , I guess that’s related to what my Dad was told, that most negatives in our area were “negative but not quite” but he was “a true negative”. The doc (who knew Dad’s first answer to “may I” was always “no”) joked that it wasn’t valid as an excuse for negative outlooks. One of my Costa Rican coworkers was O-. As far as he knew, there were only 3 O- people in the country (or at least, only 3 registered with the blood bank): each of them had the phone numbers of the other two. **BigBertha** , it depends on the medication. For example, AFAIK neither insulin nor the Pill are no-nos, but blood thinners would be. **Antigen** will know more, but which specific ones are allowed and which not may vary by location. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/18 "2010-11-19T09:49:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Aren’t both types of O extremely rare? 😕 It varies some by geographic region, the figures in the UK are O + Pos 37% O - Neg 7% Total Blood Type O 44% A + Pos 35% A - Neg 7% Total Blood Type A 42% B + Pos 8% B - Neg 2% Total Blood Type B 10% AB + Pos 3% AB - Neg 1% Total Blood Type AB 4% Total Pos 83% Total Neg 17% ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/19 "2010-11-19T09:51:30Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m O+, which is the most common blood type. I was just bitching in the Pit about how the damned Red Cross won’t leave me alone and I’m not even O-. I’m a little curious to see if a self-selected group of poll answerers comes out to roughly the population average. If you know your type, what is it? (Poll coming, keep your shorts on.) The “I don’t knowers” are skewing your percentages. You will need to adjust to see if we approximate national averages. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187/20 "2010-11-19T10:57:32Z")
O-, but for various medical reasons (not weight, though) I cannot donate. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-blood-type/561187.md?page=2)