Hi guys,

Don't know if anyone can help, but I've had the results of my full blood count in the post today and i'm worried about whether or not it's normal.

Can anyone explain them at all:

Hb 13.1 g/dl
MCV 83.9 f1
HCT 38.2
RBC 4.55 x 10^12/1
MCH 28.8 pg
RDW 12.9

WBC 8.6 x 10^9/1 Plts 291 x 10^9/1
NEUT 6.6 x 10^9/1
LYMPH 1.5 x 10^9/1
MONO 0.4 x 10^9/1
EOS 0.10 x 10^9/1
BASO 0.02 x 10^9/1

These mean nothing to me and I just want to be reassured that it's all normal.

If there is something wrong, do they normally tell you straight away?

Many thanks xxx

no idea what they mean but my hb was 13.5 and i remember my midwife commenting and saying that was really good, should of asked her what it meant x

Just found this chart - I know it's on a cancer webiste, but it states what's normal for a male and female. From what is on there it seems the results are ok (fingers crossed).

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-c...ll-blood-count

think the hb must be hemoglobin? x

Yeah think it is Hemoglobin. I wish they just sent results to midwife's office so they can be explained at next appointment really instead of sending them to home address. Maybe its just me being an unecessary worrier.

im sure all is ok angela, if there was anything to worry about they would of contacted u. midwife looked at mine quickly at my 16 wk appt x

Here are mine they came today too
Hb 13.3
HCT 88.8
rbc 4.42
mch 30.2
rdw 12.8

wbc 8.6
neut 5.4
mono 0.4
eos 0.24
baso 0.03

plts 267

Platelets and hemoglobin are the most important pregnancy related values... and it's important to note that normal levels for pregnancy are often different then normal levels for non-pregnant people which can sometimes cause concern for some as alot of labs use the non-pregnant reference ranges for everyone and end up putting "abnormal" beside values on pregnant women's lab reports when in fact the values are normal.....

Here's a run down about what they all mean.

Hb is hemoglobin...That's what carries oxygen around on your blood cells... too few of them makes you anemic. Anything above an 11 in pregnancy is normal and it's not usually concerning unless they decrease below 10. So yours are good.

MCV refers to mean corpuscular volume and measures the red blood cell volume. Normal pregnant values range from 80 to 98. They tend to be lower when not pregnant. Low MCV's can indicate anemia's, high MCV's can indicate folic acid deficiencies, metabolic disorders or macrocytosis (abnormally large blood cells). Your's is normal.

HCT is hematocrit levels which is the proportion (percentage) of the blood that contains red blood cells. Low levels can also indicate anemia. In women 33% to 45% is considered normal. In pregnancy it's normal to be on the lower end of the scale because the plasma volume (just fluid volume) of the blood increases substantially (to compensate for blood loss postpartum) and the cells don't increase at the same rate so the percentage of cells naturally decreases. Your HCT is normal.

RBC is red blood cells. This count is different then the hematocrit as this looks at the total number whereas the hct looks at the percentage of rbc's amongst the plasma. A normal RBC count is 3.4 to 5. Pregnancy tends to make it go lower to to hemodilution (increased blood plasma levels) so yours are really good.

MCH is mean corpuscular hemoglobin which is the amount of hemoglobin in the average cell. Normal is between 27 and 32. It tends to increase with pregnancy. Yours in normal.

RDW refers to red cell distribution width which is how much your red blood cells differ in size... The larger the number the bigger the size difference is between your biggest and small red blood cell. Less then 15 is normal. I'm not sure what signifiicance that plays...

Plts is platelets it's what helps clot your blood. Anything above 130 in pregnancy is normal. And it tends not to be do concerning until they become less then 80-100.

WBC is the amount of white blood cells found. They're the cells that fight infection. anything less then 11 is considered normal though it tends to be quite common for some reason for them to elevate slightly higher above that during pregnancy... Not sure why... I think some levels of our immune system is compromised in pregnancy and others are elevated.. WBC's also tend to sky rocket at the onset of labour... which is normal. And yours right now are normal... All the values beneath the WBC are different types of white blood cells and are activated during different stages of an infection so if someone is sick a doctor is able to tell how long that person's body has been fighting off the sickness.

I was a biomedical lab scientist for many moons so those numbers and tests mean something to me and they all appear to be within normal range.

If your results sheet show a little * next to a range figure, then compare that with the results figures that will tell you if its raised or lowered. If theres no *, then all are fine. For example normal range for haemaglobin is 12.0-15.0 g/dl, mine was 11.7 so a slight decrease but nothing to get worried over. Normal ranges can vary from NHS Trust to NHS Trust btw (I didnt notice where you're from btw so these figures for the UK).

Hi hun. The ones you want to be looking at are your hb (Hemoglobin/red cell count), WBC (white blood cells) and Plts (Platelets). These will be kept an eye on throughout your pregnancy to ensure they are at a good level for when you deliver. Yours are all bang on hun xx