Help understanding a few lab values

[Mprtz]

Sorry about that I was just looking to get your RBC down thats all. I should have read more carefully xD

Its possible its a ferritin issue its just unusual that men are low on iron when on TRT.

Did you have your ferritin tested specifically?

That kind of came from me... I had a recent very similar blood profile (high rbc count, low mch and mcv, hct in range), and a similar history of regular blood donation, and I did test my ferritin which came back quite low (11, range 30-200)

 

[Havasu]

That kind of came from me... I had a recent very similar blood profile (high rbc count, low mch and mcv, hct in range), and a similar history of regular blood donation, and I did test my ferritin which came back quite low (11, range 30-200)

How can he get his HCT down without donating though? Could he take an iron supplement, and add some dark leafy greens in his diet, AND donate blood to try and compensate for the iron loss?

 

[Megatron28]

How can he get his HCT down without donating though? Could he take an iron supplement, and add some dark leafy greens in his diet, AND donate blood to try and compensate for the iron loss?

The other option is to take less testosterone.

 

[Mprtz]

How can he get his HCT down without donating though? Could he take an iron supplement, and add some dark leafy greens in his diet, AND donate blood to try and compensate for the iron loss?

That's what I'm trying... supplementing with iron while continuing to donate. I will re-test ferritin in a few months and report the results.

 

[Havasu]

The other option is to take less testosterone.

Right, but if he's feeling great at his current dosage, at least if were me, I'd look to other avenues of management before lowering my dose.

 

[Megatron28]

Right, but if he's feeling great at his current dosage, at least if were me, I'd look to other avenues of management before lowering my dose.

Like donating blood....

 

[Gbrad]

Right, but if he's feeling great at his current dosage, at least if were me, I'd look to other avenues of management before lowering my dose.

I don't need to donate right now so not my concern. I agree if I did need to donate with my bloods I would try lowering test and/or iron supplementation.

What I have determined over the last 2 years since beginning TRT is my HCT and Hb INITIALLY responded strongly to my Test dose. 140mg put me in 860 range at trough but my HCT and Hb would go high. I have a good buddy who is a urology NP and is very knowledgeable re TRT. He predicted this phenomena would happen. He said HCT and Hb would initially spike but it would level off. I will continue to monitor and May need an annual or bi annual donation but definitely not the every 56 day program anymore. Unless I get a wild hair to blast during early summer I'm pretty dialed in. I just wanna keep checking how I respond to 2x week injects vs weekly and watch E2 w no AI On board.

 

[Mprtz]

I don't need to donate right now so not my concern. I agree if I did need to donate with my bloods I would try lowering test and/or iron supplementation.

What I have determined over the last 2 years since beginning TRT is my HCT and Hb INITIALLY responded strongly to my Test dose. 140mg put me in 860 range at trough but my HCT and Hb would go high. I have a good buddy who is a urology NP and is very knowledgeable re TRT. He predicted this phenomena would happen. He said HCT and Hb would initially spike but it would level off. I will continue to monitor and May need an annual or bi annual donation but definitely not the every 56 day program anymore. Unless I get a wild hair to blast during early summer I'm pretty dialed in. I just wanna keep checking how I respond to 2x week injects vs weekly and watch E2 w no AI On board.

Maybe the reason for HCT leveling off is the tendency for ferritin to drop to low levels and counteract the erythropoietic effects of T.