question from a user
I have no problem donating blood, I'm 9 weeks into TRT and my last blood test show HCT at 0.53 (0.5 max range). I read a paper (which I can't find now) which showed that higher HCT can be helpful to your health vs common consensus that anything over 0.55 is detrimental, but I have little research on this and would love your feedback. I have no problem donating blood I just haven't gotten to that stage yet but have started considering it. I did have anaemia before due to low T and have been taking iron supplements but have since stopped it when I got that blood test showing high HCT. And if I go down the donating route, how frequently should I donate? And would taking daily aspirin help reduce the risk of any complications?
AlphaMD's Answer
Higher hematocrit levels can sometimes be thought of as a potential risk factor for heart attack or stroke. This is felt to be the case because the higher the hematocrit, the thicker your blood is. You could think about it as being more "like syrup" as it gets thicker.
People who live in areas with lower oxygen (ie high altitudes) have a naturally higher hematocrit. In these situations, the body adapts and makes it a benefit, as opposed to a detriment. These populations tend to have no higher risk for heart attack or stroke, but they also tend to live healthier lifestyles, so high HCT is just one of many factors that contribute to risk.
If you choose to donate, you would typically need to do it every 8 weeks or so if you donate whole blood. The average red blood cell lives for 90 days, so if you wait longer than 3 months to donate, your HCT can go up.
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