Hematocrit Hemoglobin High on TRT

[Ronnny]

I am on TRT and recently my doc sent me to blood donation center to reduce my hematocrit level. My level was 50.1

My total testosterone level is about 900 something.

Hemoglobin(16.7) x3 = 50.1 ( Hematocrit )

So I went to donate 1 pint blood yesterday. My question is how often can I donate blood safely ? is it safe to donate blood every month or I should wait atleast 6 weeks before donating blood again?

 

[52hoosier]

What's high and what isn't is a debate here. I have lived at over 5000 feet elevation for almost 40 years. Mine ranges between 47-51. My PCP told me yesterday that it's not a big concern to her.

 

[Sly]

I see your 16.7 hemoglobin and raise you to 18.5! Seriously though, that isn’t high at all. I’ve been over 19. I donate every 2 months to get it under 18. When testosterone is the cause, if your platelets are in range, most studies show the health risks are low.

 

[Ronnny]

I think my platelets is high most of the time I do blood work. Platelets even used to be high before I started TRT.

 

[fifty]

You’re 50.1 and thinking of donating every month?! I would never donate unless confirmed 52+ on hematocrit bloodwork (not finger prick).

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Some guys' hematocrit stabilizes below 53. Not everyone has to donate blood. But the higher the T dose, the presence of sleep apnea, or smoking can be reasons for rapidly increasing hematocrit.

 

[Ronnny]

Occational smoker but quit smoking about a month ago. I think my hematocrit level not too bad but since doctor sent me and I never had any experience donating blood, I just gave it a shot. If I feel ok after one month and blood report looks good , I will try to donate regularly like once a month or every 6 weeks. I think donating blood has no negative affect unless someone has anemia issue.

 

[fifty]

Once a month is way too often. You will cause more problems than you solve.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

Most blood donation centers have protocols written in stone about how often you can donate. Where I donate blood has different periods of wait time between donations depending on what kind of donation you made.

For a whole blood donation, it is every 56 days.
For platelet donations, it is every 10 days.
For a double red donation, it is every 16 weeks.

 

[TorontoTRT]

First of all the hematocrit formula is not hemoglobin x 3. It’s RBC x MCV.
Don’t even think about donating until hemoglobin is over 18 and actual hematocrit is over 54.
if you donate now, you’ll crash your ferritin quick and when you actually need to donate in the future you won’t be able to with a crashed ferritin. After donating your hematocrit will be back within weeks to the same number pre donation, if not higher.
Most lab ranges in North America are way too conservative. Most of the world has hemoglobin 18 and hematocrit 54 as top of the range.

 

[captain]

From my experience over the years is hematocrit at an endo 55 is the cut off. At Defy the cut off is 53. If you need it to be lower a point or two drink more water. Your BUN level can tell you how hydrated you are from lab test to lab test. Once your over hydrated your BUN will be low or lower in range. If your BUN is higher in range with high hematocrit you may be dehydrated.

 

[John O'Connor]

When I first started TRT I donated every 2 months as my hematocrit was in the 51-53 range. After a year plus of donating bi-monthly I did crash my Iron levels. It was simply ignorance on my part to not understand the implications of donating so often. FYI, having labs drawn while dehydrated, or even not fully hydrated will produce a higher hematocrit level by a couple points. My suggestion is drink plenty of water before any blood draw to prevent an accidentally abnormal high hematocrit level on labs. Also if you are donating blood I'd recommend getting a full iron panel which includes the following 4 labs. Iron, Ferritin, TIBC, and Transferrin Saturation. Its good to know these baseline numbers prior to donating regularly simply to have a target to aim for if you need to take an iron supplement to get your levels back up. Ultimately Ferritin is the lab you will target as it indicates the amount of iron you have stored in your liver. It's essentially your long-term supply. Once Ferritin is crashed it takes months to get it back to normal levels with daily supplementation. I was prescribed 325mg of ferrous sulfate daily for over 6 months to get my ferritin levels back over 100 after crashing them down to 12. Normal range is 20 to 300, but optimal range is considered 110 to 120 in men. Also, Iron is a mineral, and Vitamin D is required to absorb minerals so making sure your Vitamin D levels are optimal will help iron absorption. Good luck!