You can find out your blood type through several methods:

• Ask your parents or doctor: They may have your blood type on record or know it from your medical history

• Blood test at a clinic or hospital: Your healthcare provider can draw blood and send it to a lab for testing to determine your ABO and Rh blood group

• Donate blood: When you donate blood, the blood bank tests your blood type and usually provides you with a donor card showing your type

• At-home blood typing kits: You can buy kits online that allow you to prick your finger and test your blood with reagents that reveal your blood type within minutes

• Saliva tests: Some tests use saliva to determine blood type for people who secrete blood group antigens in their saliva, although this method is less common and may not detect Rh factor

Knowing your blood type is important for medical emergencies and blood transfusions, as compatibility depends on your ABO and Rh groups. The major blood types are A, B, AB, and O, each of which can be Rh-positive (+) or Rh- negative (–)