What is mean corpuscular hemoglobin?

Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells. It is the part of the cell that carries oxygen. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) measures the weight of the average amount of hemoglobin in one red blood cell. If hemoglobin is too heavy, not enough oxygen is carried to the organs. If hemoglobin is too light, anemia can occur. The most common reason an MCH test is as part of a complete blood count (CBC) test. MCH is particularly important when testing for anemia.

Normal Value Range

• Negative Pregnancy Adult: 27 to 32 pg/cell
• Pregnancy Trimester One: 30 to 32 pg/cell
• Pregnancy Trimester Two: 30 to 33 pg/cell
• Pregnancy Trimester Three: 29 to 32 pg/cell