Know your MCH. Know your health.
Test your Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.
Normal range: 27 – 33 pg (higher is better)
MCH measures the average amount of hemoglobin packed into each red blood cell. It moves in parallel with MCV: smaller cells carry less hemoglobin (low MCH), and larger cells carry more (high MCH). MCH helps confirm the type of anemia suggested by MCV and is rarely abnormal on its own.
A normal MCH is 27 – 33 pg. Higher is better.
Low MCH almost always accompanies low MCV and shares the same causes: iron deficiency and thalassemia. Treating the underlying iron deficiency with dietary changes or supplements normalizes both.
High MCH tracks with high MCV. B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, and chronic alcohol use are the usual culprits. Correcting the vitamin deficiency or reducing alcohol intake brings MCH back to normal.
Because MCH mirrors MCV, the same lifestyle changes and medications that affect MCV apply here. There is no need to target MCH independently.
MCH is most highly correlated with Mean Corpuscular Volume and Iron. Here are the top biomarkers correlated with MCH, based on 500,000 tests done by Empirical Health.
The percentage shows how strongly two biomarkers move together. A higher number means the relationship is stronger. Green = rises and falls together. Orange = one rises as the other falls.
You can test your MCH for $190 as part of Empirical's comprehensive health panel, which includes 100 biomarkers.
You can measure your MCH for at 2,200+ testing locations across the US. Click below and enter your zip code to browse locations near you.
Test your Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.