Confusing MCH and MCV results; help please?

[lisalisapumpkineater]

Hi There,

I've just received some blood tests that I'm a little confused by. It seems like my MCH and MCV are high, but Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D are normal.

Here is what I've received:

MCH 33 pg (27-32)

MCV 100 fL (80-99)

Hb estimation 127 g/L (120-160)

Haematocrit 39.4% (37-48)

white cell count 6.5 10*9/L

Transferrin saturation index 24.3% (15-50)

Serum iron 14.6 umol/L (9.0-30.4)

Serum folate 8 ug/L (4-20)

Serum B12 536 ng/L (160-1000)

Any observations would be hugely appreciated!

[Gambit62 Administrator]

could you edit post to add the normal ranges? - edit option is in the down arrow next to follow post.

Your serum B12 levels look quite good

[lisalisapumpkineater in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit, I've edited now. I agree, my serum B12 is fine, so I am very confused as to what could be causing the MCH and MCV to be high.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to lisalisapumpkineater]

are you being treated with B12 shots at all? This can have a significant impact on what levels of serum B12 you as an individual need.

There are also a number of (rare) genetic variants that can make your cells less efficient at using B12 for particular processes ...

On the other hand some people just are out-liers when it comes to the tests - the deviation from the top of the normal range isn't a lot ...

but, as per first paragraph - if you are being treated for a B12 deficiency with B12 injections the answer to your question would be very different.

[lisalisapumpkineater in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks for the response! I'm not taking any B12 shots; I know that I'm not extremely out of range, but I just thought it was very odd as all the other test results are middle of the range and I'm in good health, apart from my monthly period having suddenly become very irregular over the past 9 months.

My GP is not very good, and not very interested in investigating anything in depth, and I didn't know whether to pester her for more tests (I don't even know what other tests I would have done, though!)

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to lisalisapumpkineater]

may be worth asking for referal to a well-woman clinic in relation to the periods. Anaemia can affect periods but I think it's normally iron deficient anaemia (in which cells are smaller) and it tends to make your periods heavier.

[lisalisapumpkineater in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks again Gambit, I have already been to see a specialist, who was shockingly unhelpful and her advice was that as I am not currently trying to get pregnant, I wasn't a priority, and once I decide to have children, I should come back and I could start some sort of hormone therapy. I thought we were past this archaic way of thinking!

I'm otherwise well and feel fine, so maybe I'm simply and "outlier" and should just let it be

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to lisalisapumpkineater]

sorry to hear that you are being given the run around - think the attitude of the specialist was a bit off. irregular periods can be a sign of a number of underlying conditions. If they are painful at all then I would suggest looking for an answer and trying to encourage your doctor to do the same but can totally understand if you prefer to investigate for yourself.

[lisalisapumpkineater in reply to Gambit62]

I'm considering moving to a new doctor; perhaps a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective will be helpful. Thanks again for all your help!