What It Is A hemoglobin electrophoresis test measures the
different types of hemoglobin in the bloodstream. Hemoglobin,
the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells, comes in
many molecular forms, some normal and some abnormal. Normal
hemoglobin carries and releases oxygen efficiently, while
abnormal hemoglobin doesn't. The most common types of normal
hemoglobin are: - Hemoglobin F, the normal type found in fetuses
and newborns. It's replaced by hemoglobin A soon after birth. -
Hemoglobin A, the normal type most commonly found in healthy
kids and adults. - Hemoglobin S, C, D, E, M, and hundreds of
rarer kinds, the abnormal hemoglobin types. If a person inherits
the genes that cause production of too much of an abnormal type
of hemoglobin, or not enough normal hemoglobin, it can lead to
blood disorders, including: - Sickle cell disease. Hemoglobin S
is responsible for most types of sickle cell disease, a
condition in which the red blood cells have a crescent or sickle
shape that causes them to break down