Quit worrying. A wonderful example of why you shouldn't be doing "routine blood work" every 6 months or even once a year. You doctor is totally correct that this is overwhelmingly just the normal variation of your hemoglobin. I am certain the doctor also did a dietary history to establish you are getting enough iron and folate and B12 in your diet and asked about changes in the color of your stool which might indicate intestinal loss. And if you look at the blood work which you had there are many other indices of the size and the hemoglobin of the red cells which are just as important as the simple measure of Hgb which you had done. In the absense of changes in your health HISTORY and EXAM there is no reason to be worried about this minor change in your lab work. If for some reason you have been getting multiple CBC's go back and look at the older ones. You will likely see there is a large range in which your hemoglobin has been reported. If you really had anemia (which 13.8 is not) then the possibilties break down into 3 broad categories (oversimplification coming).... A) You are not making enough red cells because either you lack the raw materials (iron, vitamins) or lack the genetic code (sickle cell, thalassemias etc which would be lifelong) or have interfering chemicals in your system (lead) or the bone marrow is not doing its job B. You are making enough red cells but they are be destroyed in your body too quickly (average red cell lives 100 days) or C You are making enough but they are being lost to the outside (urine, stool, nosebleeds, heavy periods)
Seems unlikely that it is heavy periods as you are giving the male normals but can't tell from your photo
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