Donating Blood & Blood Type

**Arra** · 02-12-2011 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

Blackberry, chances are, your mother was RH- I had that problem as well. I had to have 2 shots each time I became pregnant (4). One shot was given at about 4 months and the other was given after my children were born. The way it was explained to me is that my body would treat the fetus as a hostile invader and attack it. The first child usually isn't a problem, but once it's born, the blood mixes and the body more easily recognizes the "intruder". When further conception occurs, the mothers body doesn't hesitate to attack because it's more familiar with the perceived threat. I don't know what the dangers are to the baby. I looked it up long ago but I've forgotten.
Sweet dreams.

That's pretty much how it works (I learned about in bio class). If the mother is Rh- and the baby is Rh+, the moment the placenta breaks (I think) is when the mother's body builds up antibodies against the Rh+. But since it only happens as the baby is exiting, the baby isn't in danger. It's only when a second baby that has bloodtype Rh+ is in the womb that the mother's body, built up with antibodies against Rh+ thanks to the last fetus, attacks the fetus.
It's only a problem if the baby is Rh+, meaning the father has to be Rh+ (and if the father is Rh+ it's still possible for the baby to be Rh-). Something interesting is that, they could in theory test the father's blood type. Because if they found out he's Rh-, it's impossible for the baby to be Rh+, and they wouldn't have to give the woman the shot. But, hospitals don't do this. Even if they know the claimed father is Rh-, they always give the woman the shot anyway, even if she's married, in case she was 'sleeping around'.

I wonder if the reason they stopped paying people for blood donation in Canada was to prevent people from lying about their histories, so that the only reason to donate is out of goodness and not for money. There was a disaster in Canada in the 198s when about a thousand people were infected with HIV from blood donations and about 20 thousand with Hepatitus C. I'm not sure, but I think the Canadian Red Cross stopped taking blood donations and handed over the process to Canadian Blood Services after that.

**Dezzie** · 02-19-2011 02:06 PM

I've never donated blood due to being afraid of needles/getting a disease.
I'm AB+.

**Jeff777** · 02-20-2011 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by Dezzie

I've never donated blood due to being afraid of needles/getting a disease.
I'm AB+.

Edward Cullen's favorite.

Originally Posted by Dianeva

Have you donated blood? Why or why not?

Do you know your blood type? Do you believe in any of the myths surrounding blood type, that your type affects your personality or what you should eat?

Blood type affects personality? Are you ~~HIV~~ positive?

**Arra** · 02-20-2011 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by Jeff777

Blood type affects personality? Are you ~~HIV~~ positive?

No, I don't believe it's true. And I get that reference.

**tommo** · 02-20-2011 09:30 AM

Blackberry, that's a very shortsighted thing for you to say - that you'd rather take the chances than die.

Because HIV can take years sometimes to start showing any symptoms. So you could get that HIV infected blood and not know, and pass it on to someone else etc. etc. etc.

Also as far as I have heard, they also ask if you have had anal sex, not just gay anal sex. Because the risk is about the same either way.

**slash112** · 02-20-2011 11:28 AM

I donate blood. The reason is that they need it badly, and that they ain't kidding when they say that every person's donation makes a difference.
I don't know how they do it in America, but over here they take lots of precautions for doing it. They make sure you are fit to give blood, and that your blood is fit to be given to others. (which is actually a pain in the ass, but it's worth it, I guess)
And they don't give money to you if you donate, and I don't think they should.

**tommo** · 02-20-2011 12:24 PM

Yeah I think the U.S is the only place where you get money for donating bodily fluids and organs. I heard you can get $40,000 for a kidney.

**Blackberryfox** · 02-20-2011 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by tommo

Blackberry, that's a very shortsighted thing for you to say - that you'd rather take the chances than die.

Because HIV can take years sometimes to start showing any symptoms. So you could get that HIV infected blood and not know, and pass it on to someone else etc. etc. etc.

Also as far as I have heard, they also ask if you have had anal sex, not just gay anal sex. Because the risk is about the same either way.

So it's short sighted of me to want to take a chance and live even if for just a little while longer, then just die anyway? Does this mean it's also short sighted of me to have a relationship with someone who's had sex int he past, no matter how I feel about them, because they might have HIV and not know it? Once again I ask what's the risk vs reward in any of these situations? Or how about this should I not get behind the wheel of a car because I run, probably a higher risk, of having an accident and causing someones death?

Could I get infected? Yes. Could I pass it on to someone else? Yes. But the fact is life is full of risks. We tend to forget in the comfort of our homes that life is dangerous and deadly and not at all kind. People die in tragic horrible ways all the time. That's just the way of things and while we must do all we can to prevent it there has to be a line drawn somewhere. At some point we have to say that enough is enough and some things just have to be accepted. You can call me selfish or short sighted if it please you, but if it came down to either dying right then and there or giving myself some more time on this earth to live by accepting, even blood that I knew was tainted, I would take the blood. In the end I will always choose survival.

Also please don't presume things about me. The chances that I would accidentally infect someone else is very minimal in my opinion. I'm a cautious person as a general rule. I always cover my mouth when I cough or sneeze, I tend to stay home when I'm sick rather then forcing myself to go to work like so many other people, and because I work around sick animals and blood all day (I might be a groomer but I'm still exposed to it at the hospital) I have regular blood tests to make sure I'm healthy. I also don't engage in risky sexual behaviors. I never have and never will have sex with random people, and I demand that the partners I do have use plenty of protection. I can be a bit of a hypochondriac over certain things so I'm very cautious about watching my health and changes in my body. If I was HIV positive I'm certain I would catch it far sooner then your average person.

Another quick question. If you saw a person bleeding to death on the sidewalk would you go over and try and help them? I mean after all you don't know if they're HIV positive or not. You could infect yourself and not know it and then go on to infect others right? Would that be worth the risk to save their life?

**Spartiate** · 02-21-2011 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by Blackberryfox

So it's short sighted of me to want to take a chance and live even if for just a little while longer, then just die anyway?

You're assuming that people are dying right now because of lack of blood.

**Blackberryfox** · 02-21-2011 05:32 AM

Originally Posted by Spartiate

You're assuming that people are dying right now because of lack of blood.

Actually I was just speaking about the specific situation. If I was dying and it would come down to either take a risk or die for sure I would be more then willing to take the risk.

Though it's certainly what they would have had you believe. I was always hearing talk about how there were shortages and how they needed more people to donate.