Hemoglobin and Hematocrit

[Testdude63]

I realize I already posted my bloods earlier, but want to get some opinions from you guys, since I trust a lot of the knowledgeable folks in this forum .

My hemoglobin was low at 11.8 (12.6-17.7) as well as my MCH and MCHC. I donated blood 4 times this year already and my last donation was 5 weeks ago (1 week prior to ending my blast). My blast included 800mg of EQ for 17 weeks, so I was a little shocked to see my hemoglobin so low. Hematocrit was good at 40.7, which is low considering.

All those numbers were higher even prior to running gear, a little over a year ago. Do you think this is caused by the frequent donations? Any advice? Thanks to everyone in advance.

 

[stretch512]

It could be most certainly caused by the frequent donations. You can easily get a small zipcrit hematocrit centrifuge online off amazon and test your self at home. With EQ @ 17 WEEKS your HCT sould be like 49-51 at least.

 

[Testdude63]

I can't say i'm overly knowledgeable on this. Outside of medication, an injury that causes persistent bleeding or some kind of disease; low hema and hemo can be iron and/or b12 deficient. My guess is most likely due to the frequency of donations but that's just what it is, a guess.

Yeah, I'm banking on it having something to do with my donations. I've always had cold hands/feet in the winter time, but never really been tested for it. Hmm...

It could be most certainly caused by the frequent donations. You can easily get a small zipcrit hematocrit centrifuge online off amazon and test your self at home. With EQ @ 17 WEEKS your HCT sould be like 49-51 at least.

So you're thinking the donations probably did effectively lower everything? I wonder where it would have been had I not donated all those times lol.

When do you think would be an ideal time to test again?

If it makes any difference, I was fasted for 14 hours prior to my test.

 

[44YOGearHead]

I'm of the opinion 4x a year is plenty on donations and the cold hands and feet are often telltale signs of low iron. Cut the donations, take some easy absorption iron, or get an infusion of it.

 

[stretch512]

@Testdude - yes, a 14 hour fast imo is going to effect those levels. If you can get a home test kit you can test any time. Give it a month or so and see where you are. Also you may also consider boosting the iron count - it can't hurt. It has happened to me when I was undernourished and not on any PED's my counts came back low. Eat Iron rich foods and I like my HCT to be in the upper 40's. Everyone's body is different but if your numbers are low you should feel it.

 

[Testdude63]

Some excellent advice, gentlemen. I truly appreciate it. I've been eating a lot of red meat, spinach, broccoli, beans, whole eggs, and chicken the past couple days in an attempt to up my iron intake. It's a little more difficult when adhering to my macros and keeping my fat lower (I have chronic gastritis and a higher fat intake doesn't work for me). Even when calories are HIGH I have to keep fat capped at around 90g a day or I run into all kinds of digestive woes.

 

[chelades]

Stop donating would be the simplest solution IMO.

DO NOT just take an iron supplement, especially without a doctor's supervision. They are near-exclusively for women and can make you toxically ill.

Supplement with folic acid and B12 if you want to do something.

 

[Testdude63]

Stop donating would be the simplest solution IMO.

DO NOT just take an iron supplement, especially without a doctor's supervision. They are near-exclusively for women and can make you toxically ill.

Supplement with folic acid and B12 if you want to do something.

Thanks for your input . I opted not to supplement with iron for the time being. I still have a little bit of injectable b12, so I've been running that. I've also increased my dietary intake of iron. I'm going to retest in about 4-5 weeks to see where I'm at.

 

[RickRock]

If you are prone to lowered iron, you might take a little more time between donations. That will help keep you more in range. Go donate maybe every 12-16 weeks instead of every 8.

 

[Testdude63]

If you are prone to lowered iron, you might take a little more time between donations. That will help keep you more in range. Go donate maybe every 12-16 weeks instead of every 8.

Good call. Need that iron up not only for overall health, but also for gym performance. I knew something felt off lately, and this is likely the culprit. Thanks, RR.

 

[RickRock]

Good call. Need that iron up not only for overall health, but also for gym performance. I knew something felt off lately, and this is likely the culprit. Thanks, RR.

My pleasure to help brother!

 

[Maxadvance]

I realize I already posted my bloods earlier, but want to get some opinions from you guys, since I trust a lot of the knowledgeable folks in this forum .

My hemoglobin was low at 11.8 (12.6-17.7) as well as my MCH and MCHC. I donated blood 4 times this year already and my last donation was 5 weeks ago (1 week prior to ending my blast). My blast included 800mg of EQ for 17 weeks, so I was a little shocked to see my hemoglobin so low. Hematocrit was good at 40.7, which is low considering.

All those numbers were higher even prior to running gear, a little over a year ago. Do you think this is caused by the frequent donations? Any advice? Thanks to everyone in advance.

Definitely donation affected. When they prick your finger they are checking your hemo count, what was it? Usually under 12 and they won't even let you donate. If it was 12-15, you should have stopped right there and said no thanks I'm good. Get your ferritin checked too. Eat your dark leafy veggies, and maybe it's time to start some gear. lol

 

[Testdude63]

Definitely donation affected. When they prick your finger they are checking your hemo count, what was it? Usually under 12 and they won't even let you donate. If it was 12-15, you should have stopped right there and said no thanks I'm good. Get your ferritin checked too. Eat your dark leafy veggies, and maybe it's time to start some gear. lol

When they pricked me it was 13.1

This is how my four donations went: 16.5, 15.3, 13.7, 13.1.

If I had known better, I would've stopped after the second one, but I was just following advice with all the research I've done. Live and you learn, eh?

I'm getting ready to blast again for a quick 12 week cut. I've been cruising for 6 weeks now, even though bloods came back good and it shows I'm ready to go, I may continue my cruise for a couple more weeks as I get a plan going. Maybe add a low dose EQ just to get my hemo back up for the next few weeks.