Is Hematocrit of 54 Justified to Modify TRT?

[Jinzang]

An asessment of the issue of hematocrit increase after testosterone therapy and whether current guidelines are justified. The abstract is online and the full paper can be downloaded from the link. The conclusion is:

"Testosterone therapy (TTh) can effect an increased hematocrit via poorly understood mechanisms and may have harmful effects on blood flow that differ in patient subgroups. At present, there appears no scientific basis for using a hematocrit of 0.54 to modify TTh; other values may be more appropriate in particular patient groups."

 

[BuzzSaw]

Interesting. I usually donate twice a year, but be sure to watch your iron!

 

[John O'Connor]

And make sure you are not dehydrated prior to blood draws. I consciously drink a couple glasses of water prior to blood draws and have not had to donate blood since doing so. I completely agree with BuzzSaw, if you are donating blood be sure to have your doctor order a full iron panel. Low iron in men donating blood is much more common than you would guess.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

Ferritin.

 

[MarcoFL]

I cannot donate for some reason my iron does not recover. I do find eating liver will raise my iron way better than a supplement.