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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Blood Test Discussion
balancing low ferritin levels and frequent donation.
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<blockquote data-quote="andyn2b8s" data-source="post: 26610" data-attributes="member: 12206"><p>Hi concerned wife. I think I can offer some advice from my own experience. Plus I have a masters in a clinical medicine field, so I feel like I am able to pick apart the research pretty well..IMHO. </p><p></p><p>The good news is that the FDA is currently considering waiving the phlebotomy fee for people who need to donate blood more frequently. Currently there is a $100 charge (along with a required prescription) to donate more often than every 6 weeks for whole blood. Seems like common sense to me to not charge people for donating an invaluable resource no matter how frequent, but then again, the fda isn't very common sense oriented at times. I personally have no qualms over discarding my own blood at home at whatever frequency I deem necessary. We now have Theranos in our area where I can get my blood tested for next to nothing as often as I want. So I am able to keep a close eye on things. Certainly your husband should be donating at least as often as the donation centers will allow, and then see how his hgb/hct responds to that. </p><p></p><p>As far as what number is safe, that depends on a number of things like his baseline circulatory system health and if he takes anything like aspirin or high dose omega 3 (which he should be doing both for many reasons). Those supplements will keep his blood from aggregating if or when the hgb/hct gets too high. I've read that hematologists want to keep hct <45 at all times in polycythemics, which to me seems a bit aggressive. I must say, when my hgb tested at 20.6 back in March, I was very concerned. I would say it's best to keep hgb below 17 at all times. I try to keep it between 15 and 17. PS- HCT is usually 3 x hgb. I know I switch back and forth between the two a lot. </p><p></p><p>I totally agree with you about the lack of concern over serum ferritin levels, and for guys that have aggressive erythropoesis with trt, it seems we don't have much choice other than to let the ferritin run low. I have seen my own hgb level explode when I tried to supplement more iron in order to get my ferritin levels any higher than at the bottom of the low range. So again, safer to run low ferritin levels than risk a high hgb for guys like us. The docs probably say it's nothing to be concerned about only because there's nothing they can safely do about it for guys on trt getting phlebotomies and it truly isn't life threatening or perhaps even life altering. </p><p></p><p>I don't know enough about the correlation with the thyroid, but I will say this: As people age, their thyroid tends to get sluggish on it's own. And men predisposed to male pattern baldness with get more bald with age. Trt will increase the rate of balding and I'm quite certain it has nothing to do with ferritin levels. Testosterone converts to DHT in the scalp and DHT is the compound that speeds up the balding. DHT is also a very potent anabolic steroid in itself, and selectively blocking it has it's own set of side effects like a decrease in libido and mood. </p><p></p><p>You also asked about dehydration and the answer is yes. Although, as long as you are not severely dehydrated when you are having your bloodwork done, then it should be reflective of your baseline (assuming your baseline is not dehydrated). Either way, as far as the dangers of clotting go, it does not matter whether the high hct came from dehydration or erythropoesis or both. It is equally dangerous to have a very high hct, thought with the dehydration you can fix it more easily just by drinking some water.</p><p></p><p>If I were him I would certainly take enough trt to where it does make a difference, and manage the erythropoesis separately. Studies show that VERY often, creams and gels do not even raise total testosterone levels to > 500 and they also tend to be incredibly more expensive than injections. So I would not recommend topical therapy to anyone. </p><p></p><p>And lastly, I don't know why the high hct wasn't an issue at the beginning, but it is now. </p><p></p><p>I hope my reply can offer some help to you and your husband.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="andyn2b8s, post: 26610, member: 12206"] Hi concerned wife. I think I can offer some advice from my own experience. Plus I have a masters in a clinical medicine field, so I feel like I am able to pick apart the research pretty well..IMHO. The good news is that the FDA is currently considering waiving the phlebotomy fee for people who need to donate blood more frequently. Currently there is a $100 charge (along with a required prescription) to donate more often than every 6 weeks for whole blood. Seems like common sense to me to not charge people for donating an invaluable resource no matter how frequent, but then again, the fda isn't very common sense oriented at times. I personally have no qualms over discarding my own blood at home at whatever frequency I deem necessary. We now have Theranos in our area where I can get my blood tested for next to nothing as often as I want. So I am able to keep a close eye on things. Certainly your husband should be donating at least as often as the donation centers will allow, and then see how his hgb/hct responds to that. As far as what number is safe, that depends on a number of things like his baseline circulatory system health and if he takes anything like aspirin or high dose omega 3 (which he should be doing both for many reasons). Those supplements will keep his blood from aggregating if or when the hgb/hct gets too high. I've read that hematologists want to keep hct <45 at all times in polycythemics, which to me seems a bit aggressive. I must say, when my hgb tested at 20.6 back in March, I was very concerned. I would say it's best to keep hgb below 17 at all times. I try to keep it between 15 and 17. PS- HCT is usually 3 x hgb. I know I switch back and forth between the two a lot. I totally agree with you about the lack of concern over serum ferritin levels, and for guys that have aggressive erythropoesis with trt, it seems we don't have much choice other than to let the ferritin run low. I have seen my own hgb level explode when I tried to supplement more iron in order to get my ferritin levels any higher than at the bottom of the low range. So again, safer to run low ferritin levels than risk a high hgb for guys like us. The docs probably say it's nothing to be concerned about only because there's nothing they can safely do about it for guys on trt getting phlebotomies and it truly isn't life threatening or perhaps even life altering. I don't know enough about the correlation with the thyroid, but I will say this: As people age, their thyroid tends to get sluggish on it's own. And men predisposed to male pattern baldness with get more bald with age. Trt will increase the rate of balding and I'm quite certain it has nothing to do with ferritin levels. Testosterone converts to DHT in the scalp and DHT is the compound that speeds up the balding. DHT is also a very potent anabolic steroid in itself, and selectively blocking it has it's own set of side effects like a decrease in libido and mood. You also asked about dehydration and the answer is yes. Although, as long as you are not severely dehydrated when you are having your bloodwork done, then it should be reflective of your baseline (assuming your baseline is not dehydrated). Either way, as far as the dangers of clotting go, it does not matter whether the high hct came from dehydration or erythropoesis or both. It is equally dangerous to have a very high hct, thought with the dehydration you can fix it more easily just by drinking some water. If I were him I would certainly take enough trt to where it does make a difference, and manage the erythropoesis separately. Studies show that VERY often, creams and gels do not even raise total testosterone levels to > 500 and they also tend to be incredibly more expensive than injections. So I would not recommend topical therapy to anyone. And lastly, I don't know why the high hct wasn't an issue at the beginning, but it is now. I hope my reply can offer some help to you and your husband. [/QUOTE]
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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Blood Test Discussion
balancing low ferritin levels and frequent donation.
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