Question about CBC results

[spade22]

Hi Ladies,

I was just wondering if anyone can shed some light on the results of a hematology report I just recieved from my doctors office(everything else on the report was within the 'standard' range):

RBC: 4.34  (low 4.7, high 6.1)
HGB: 13.7  (low 14.0, high 16.5)
HCT: 39.5  (low 42.0, high 52.0)
MID: 0.1   (low 0.11, high 0.59)

I suspected I was anemic when I visted my doctor for an annual check-up since my periods have been very light  and I dont eat much red meat; I asked the doctor if she could do the appropriate blood test to find out.  The test was run on November 20th, I was never contacted with the results, and when I phoned the doctors office a few days ago (I asked to be sent the results) I was told the doctor had signed off on the tests meaning they are OK.  However, the above results are HIGHLIGHTED on my report which I presume is because they are below, although only marginally, the "standard" range.  I guess what I'm wondering is whether these levels could indicate anemia and, if not, what would cause one to have values on the low side of the range.

[VickiInVegas]

I'm not a doctor at all but to me what it sounds like is you may just be starting to develop whats called

'Athletic Amenorrhoea' means absence of the menstrual period. Female athletes or women who perform considerable amounts of exercise on a regular basis are at risk of developing athletic amenorrhoea. It is suspected that low body fat levels and exercise related chemicals (such as beta endorphins and catecholamines) disrupt the interplay of the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Long term complications of untreated athletic amenorrhoea include susceptibility to broken bones and premature ageing. Diagnosis of athletic amenorrhoea requires eliminating all other possible causes, such as diseases of the reproductive system. Treatment options include reducing the amount of exercise performed or hormone replacement therapy, in severe cases.

Symptoms of athletic amenorrhoea may include:

- No menstrual period for at least three months
- Irregular and heavy menstrual periods that only occur four times or less per year.

You currently are at least getting your menses although sometimes not on time.  Meaning you still probably have enough body fat to ovulate for the most part. Some estrogen is created in womens body fat, and well, if you dont have any you can have a lack thereof.

I would take a deep breathe and relax :) Getting your period a little late here and there is okay.  It doesnt mean you wont conceive someday.

Hey I only get my menses 4 times a year and I have a bouncing baby boy (6 months old).

[spade22]

My main suspicision for thinking I could be anemic was my last 3 periods have been very light which is not characteristic for me; my last period was also 3 weeks late and in my 20 years of mensus I have never been more than a week late. I work out at the gym on a regular basis (10 h a week) and noticed that on rare occasions, my lips are bluish after a tough work-out; I thought this might have someone to do with iron deficiency (not much iron to transport oxygen to cells, hence the blue color of deoxygenated blood).

There was a remote possibility I could have been pregnant but several OTC tests were negative so I ruled that out.  Since I don't eat much red meat I thought my symptoms could have been a result of anemia.  My doctors essentially brushed things off and said I may not be ovulating but that we would have to be actively trying for a baby for over a year before that possibility could even be investigated.  My husband and I would like to start trying for a baby next year (we are currently living in different states) and if I'm not ovulating that will obviously cause problems - a iron deficiency would have been a much easier "fix" and "explaination" for said symptoms.

[VickiInVegas]

The ranges vary slightly here and there for various reasons.  Your ranges though are widely accepted as normal.  

Here are some pages that show different ranges and you can see you are in norm on all of them:

1.  http://www.drstandley.com/labvalues_hematology.shtml
2.  http://pathcuric1.swmed.edu/PathDemo/nrrt.htm
3.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_ranges_for_common_blood_tests

MID stands for Mid-cell percent.

[VickiInVegas]

Here are a couple more:  

1.  http://www.childrensdayton.org/CMC_For_Physician/LabManual/TextPages/TableHE.htm

2.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003644.htm

3.  http://www.bloodbook.com/ranges.html

Is there a reason you may be worried or feeling like you are anemic?

Its is very normal to feel low on energy while pregnant.  I used to have to take a nap during the middle of the day because I was sooo sleepy while I was pregnant.  Afterall, you ARE making a person!  Thats a lot of work! :)

[spade22]

Thanks for your response.  It's interesting that the "low-high range" on my report from the lab is slightly different from those data that you provided from a different source.  Using your values, I am within the standard range but am just below "normal" using the lab data.

Do you know what "MID" is a measure of?  I couldnt find what the acronym stood for.

Again, thanks for your help.

[VickiInVegas]

You are normal based upon the figures you've presented.  Hope these figures help:


NORMAL VALUES

WBC - White blood count
4,500-11,000/uL

RBC - Red blood count
Male 4.5-6.0 X 106/uL

Female 4.0-5.5 X 106/uL

Hgb - Hemoglobin
Male 13-17g/dl

Female 12.0-15g/dl

Hct - Hematocrit (pct)
Male 42-52%

Female 36-48%

MCV - Mean corpuscular vol. (femoliters)
  
80-100 fl


MCH - Mean corpuscular Hgb (picograms)
  
27-32 pg


MCHC - Mean corpuscular Hgb conc. (pct)
  
32-37%

Platelet -

150,000-400,000/uL