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Blood Test Showed Semi High Hematocrit, MCV, MCH And Semi Low Platelet Count. Any Suggestion?
Question: Hi I am a 41 Year old woman in decent health and just got blood tests back- It seems I have semi high Hematocrit @41.5 and MCV@95.7 - MCH 32.4 and a semi low Platelet Count @162. Does this indicate that I have fairly large blood cells? If so is there anything I can do to shrink them?
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
Ref. ranges for Hematocrt is 37-47% for woman and can vary depending of the laboratory. But your Hematocrit seems completely fine and there is nothing to worry about. Moreover, Hematocrit can get high due to dehydration or low fluids intake. And this is used to monitor it.
MCV ref. ranges are 82-92 fl. Your MCV is slightly above the norm what does not indicate any disease. To talk about large red blood cell, MCV needs to be above 110 fl and it usually indicates B12 or folic acid deficiency. But with this deficiency, hemoglobin level gets low.
MCH gets increased with MCV and indicates same thing.
Your platelet count is also slightly below the ref. ranges. It is necessary to have about 30 thousands to maintain proper coagulation. So you seem to be very far from that.
Your blood work can be just a regular for you, it can be impede by some minor infect, body hydration, etc. I suggest you to do not worry about it. Just to be sure, you should reaped your blood work after about 2 weeks.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Thank you for the query.
Ref. ranges for Hematocrt is 37-47% for woman and can vary depending of the laboratory. But your Hematocrit seems completely fine and there is nothing to worry about. Moreover, Hematocrit can get high due to dehydration or low fluids intake. And this is used to monitor it.
MCV ref. ranges are 82-92 fl. Your MCV is slightly above the norm what does not indicate any disease. To talk about large red blood cell, MCV needs to be above 110 fl and it usually indicates B12 or folic acid deficiency. But with this deficiency, hemoglobin level gets low.
MCH gets increased with MCV and indicates same thing.
Your platelet count is also slightly below the ref. ranges. It is necessary to have about 30 thousands to maintain proper coagulation. So you seem to be very far from that.
Your blood work can be just a regular for you, it can be impede by some minor infect, body hydration, etc. I suggest you to do not worry about it. Just to be sure, you should reaped your blood work after about 2 weeks.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hello again - thank you for your reply. On my test is hows that the range for MCV is 80 - 100 and mine is 95.7. So eventhough it is on the higher side it does not seem to be over. My Hemoglobin is 14.1 - with a range of 11.7-15.5. Alot of these results eventhough not being Over are on the higher side. From research I have done I was just wondering if these seemed to be higher because maybe my blood cells are larger especially since my platelet count is semi low - range 150-400 and mine is 162. I just saw my fathers blood test results and his numbers are similiar to mine but his platelet count is even lower - wondering if it might be genetic? ...the semi larger blood cell thing
I also noticed that I have low Urea nitrogen at 7 (range 7-25).
Should I just scan and send my blood results so you can see everything?
I also noticed that I have low Urea nitrogen at 7 (range 7-25).
Should I just scan and send my blood results so you can see everything?
Hello!
Yes, you can attach your blood work so I can see everything.
But from your description everything is fine. This ranges are set up artificially, based on statistical result of many examined people. And as every person is different, the ranges are quite wide. So one has MCV 82, another has 95 and both results are fine and indicate normal red blood cell size. Not too small, not too large. Just statistically regular.
Platelets count is dependent of so many factors (like spleen, bone narrow, vitamins, hormones, growing factors, infection, medicines) that it can not be compared to yours father level in a straight way. Just take a look at low platelets count causes: WWW.WWWW.WW
It is so many of them that diagnostics of it is very hard and should be done by hematologist.
But your platelets are fine, no doubt of that.
Urea nitrogen indicates kidneys condition. If it is high, kidneys are not functioning property. If it is low, kidneys condition is very very good. Sometimes low level of it can be due to low protein intake.
So in conclusion, your blood work indicates your good health and you should not factorise it, just go on with it.
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Yes, you can attach your blood work so I can see everything.
But from your description everything is fine. This ranges are set up artificially, based on statistical result of many examined people. And as every person is different, the ranges are quite wide. So one has MCV 82, another has 95 and both results are fine and indicate normal red blood cell size. Not too small, not too large. Just statistically regular.
Platelets count is dependent of so many factors (like spleen, bone narrow, vitamins, hormones, growing factors, infection, medicines) that it can not be compared to yours father level in a straight way. Just take a look at low platelets count causes: WWW.WWWW.WW
It is so many of them that diagnostics of it is very hard and should be done by hematologist.
But your platelets are fine, no doubt of that.
Urea nitrogen indicates kidneys condition. If it is high, kidneys are not functioning property. If it is low, kidneys condition is very very good. Sometimes low level of it can be due to low protein intake.
So in conclusion, your blood work indicates your good health and you should not factorise it, just go on with it.
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. Your reply makes me feel better. I have been going through many hard tests recently while trying to conceive (I know I'm old..) and I was told to go on an ll organice diet with lots of Green leafy vegges and seeds and fruits etc...so I just wanted to make sure I wasn't eating more Iron than my body can handle or eating too much of one thing that I shouldn't. Maybe you would know something about fibroids? I was told that I have 3-4 Fibroids - 1 is quite large at 6 cm (on outside of uterus) and I have been trying to research natural ways to try and shrink them or prevent more from coming.
I tend to have a fairly stressed personality and have never had a child before which I read can lead to etsrogen dominance amoungst other things. I have changed my diet , drinking lots of water and have recently begun excersing (yesterday) and am trying really hard to get stress level down. I'm 5'8 1/2 and 144 lbs so it's not a weight thing....and I smoked on and off for several years (though not a big smoker for a Looong time) but just permanantly quit for good about 2 months ago.:) .......maybe I am asking to much I just have so many questions and it seems my doctors are way too busy to answer all of them.
Plus I am currently taking Prenatal pills - fish oil- Vitamin D (I was VERY low at around 12) and a chinese herbal pill called Easy Wanderer
Oh and i just began fertility accupuncture almost 2 months ago
I tend to have a fairly stressed personality and have never had a child before which I read can lead to etsrogen dominance amoungst other things. I have changed my diet , drinking lots of water and have recently begun excersing (yesterday) and am trying really hard to get stress level down. I'm 5'8 1/2 and 144 lbs so it's not a weight thing....and I smoked on and off for several years (though not a big smoker for a Looong time) but just permanantly quit for good about 2 months ago.:) .......maybe I am asking to much I just have so many questions and it seems my doctors are way too busy to answer all of them.
Plus I am currently taking Prenatal pills - fish oil- Vitamin D (I was VERY low at around 12) and a chinese herbal pill called Easy Wanderer
Oh and i just began fertility accupuncture almost 2 months ago
If you want to check iron metabolism, you should have checked TIBC, ferritine and transferine. This proteins are responisble for its metabolism. But from your blood work, it seems that your iron level is also fine (with iron deficiency MCV gets low and so is hemoglobin level).
Vegetables and fruits does not contain much if iron. The most important source of the iron is meat. You should deliver about 18 mg of iron a day. For example 500 g (1 pound) of chicken meat contains 3,5 mg of iron. So it is quite hard to deliver too much of iron.
Fibroids does are rather hard to shrink or prevent using natural methods. You need to know that uterine is very sensitive for your hormones and only this way you can stimulate or supress it. There are some hormones, like Danazol which can be used to shrink them.
Stress is very serious problem as it affect whole body. Can even prevent you from getting pregnant. It is because brain controls your ovarian hormones. In the brain also stress takes most visible part.
There is no shame in asking specialist for help in such situation. Especially if you have tried many other methods and nothing seems to be helping. And you should know that you have a right to feel comfortable and no reason to suffer.
So if you find all your stress controlling methods not working, maybe you should ask for help psychiatrist.
Prenatal pills are very good. Can not harm you for sure. And so is Chinese herbal pills or acupuncture. Just be conscious that you have a right to ask for help.
You may also try Magnesium 400 mg a day supplementation (it helps with stress). Coffe, coke should be eliminated from your diet.
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Vegetables and fruits does not contain much if iron. The most important source of the iron is meat. You should deliver about 18 mg of iron a day. For example 500 g (1 pound) of chicken meat contains 3,5 mg of iron. So it is quite hard to deliver too much of iron.
Fibroids does are rather hard to shrink or prevent using natural methods. You need to know that uterine is very sensitive for your hormones and only this way you can stimulate or supress it. There are some hormones, like Danazol which can be used to shrink them.
Stress is very serious problem as it affect whole body. Can even prevent you from getting pregnant. It is because brain controls your ovarian hormones. In the brain also stress takes most visible part.
There is no shame in asking specialist for help in such situation. Especially if you have tried many other methods and nothing seems to be helping. And you should know that you have a right to feel comfortable and no reason to suffer.
So if you find all your stress controlling methods not working, maybe you should ask for help psychiatrist.
Prenatal pills are very good. Can not harm you for sure. And so is Chinese herbal pills or acupuncture. Just be conscious that you have a right to ask for help.
You may also try Magnesium 400 mg a day supplementation (it helps with stress). Coffe, coke should be eliminated from your diet.
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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