Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein made by the prostate. The PSA take a look at is a blood take a look at that exams the PSA degree in a person’s blood. Excessive ranges can point out quite a lot of prostate issues, together with irritation, an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH), or prostate most cancers.
An estimated 37 p.c of males over age 50 have had a PSA take a look at up to now 12 months. This screening take a look at gives a strategy to detect prostate most cancers early, earlier than signs seem.
Nonetheless, sure components, reminiscent of medicines or infections, may cause the numbers on this take a look at to be falsely excessive or low. To ensure your outcomes are as correct as potential, listed here are 9 do’s and don’ts earlier than your PSA blood take a look at.
1. Do not: Quick earlier than the take a look at
Some blood exams, reminiscent of blood sugar exams used to diagnose diabetes, require fasting for a minimum of eight hours to make sure right outcomes. This isn’t it. “There isn’t a preparation for the PSA take a look at,” says John L. Phillips, MD, professor of urology at New York Medical School in Valhalla, New York. Not consuming beforehand is not going to have an effect on the outcomes.
2. Do: Inform your physician what medicines you’re taking
A gaggle of medication referred to as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can have an effect on PSA ranges. These embrace finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart), which medical doctors prescribe to deal with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and androgenetic alopecia.
“They’re designed to dam the conversion of energetic testosterone within the prostate. What occurs is that it atrophies (shrinks) the prostate and artificially lowers PSA,” explains Dr. Gabriel Rodriguez, a board-certified urologist at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital. Finasteride can cut back PSA outcomes by as a lot as 50%.
Low PSA ranges can create a false sense of safety, he says. Chances are you’ll assume your numbers look good or are happening when in actuality they need to be greater. Earlier than the take a look at, inform your urologist about any medicines you’re taking. Ask in the event that they must be eliminated, and if that’s the case, for a way lengthy.
The hair loss drug minoxidil (Rogaine) is the same drug that treats baldness, however it’s prescribed in decrease doses and doesn’t have an effect on PSA scores.
On the different finish of the spectrum are medicine that enhance testosterone ranges. “Males may additionally take over-the-counter libido-reducing medicine or testosterone dietary supplements. Additionally, in the event you’re ‘juicing’ on the health club or taking testosterone with out supervision, it is thought that elevated prostate stimulation can elevate your PSA,” says Dr. Phillips.
3. Do not: Experience your bike earlier than the take a look at.
Most kinds of train don’t have any impact on PSA ranges, with the next exceptions: Driving a bicycle, bike, or jet ski places strain in your prostate. “As a result of the prostate cells are broken, extra PSA is secreted into the bloodstream and could be detected by exams,” Dr. Rodriguez says. Please cease any such exercise roughly 48 hours earlier than the take a look at to keep away from false constructive outcomes.
Get a coronavirus take a look at if in case you have signs reminiscent of fever, cough, sore throat, or lack of style or scent. Viruses can typically enhance PSA ranges. One potential motive is that the irritation attributable to COVID-19 damages the prostate, inflicting a few of its cells to spill into the bloodstream. The brand new coronavirus vaccine might have the same impact. Ask your physician how lengthy you need to wait to get a PSA take a look at after getting a COVID-19 an infection or vaccination.
5. Do: Take a break from intercourse.
Throughout ejaculation, the prostate contracts and expels prostatic fluid and semen from the penis. Rodriguez factors out that the contractions trigger gentle trauma to the prostate, releasing a small quantity of PSA into the bloodstream.
It is best to keep away from intercourse or masturbation proper earlier than the take a look at, however you do not have to attend too lengthy. “PSA normally returns to regular inside two days in nearly 100% of individuals,” says Phillips. “So avoiding intercourse for greater than two days might be pointless.”
6. Do: Wait till the urological process is full.
Procedures that place devices or endoscopes in or close to the prostate gland can harm it. Prostate biopsies and cystoscopies (exams used to diagnose bladder circumstances) can briefly enhance PSA ranges. Colonoscopies could be one other concern as a result of they cross very near the prostate on its approach up the colon, Rodriguez says.
A digital rectal examination (DRE) can be a take a look at for prostate most cancers through which your physician inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum to verify for lumps or different modifications. Whether or not DRE will increase PSA is debated. Some research have proven that males’s PSA ranges elevated after this prostate most cancers take a look at. Different research discovered no such impact.
Even when DRE raises its PSA, it’s unlikely to lead to a big enhance. “The rectal examination takes solely 4 seconds,” says Phillips. “The PSA is not going to rise considerably.” Nonetheless, to be on the protected aspect, your physician can carry out a PSA blood draw earlier than the DRE.
8. What to do: Wait if in case you have a catheter.
Some males require a catheter, which is a tube inserted from the penis into the bladder to empty urine. It’s used for urinary incontinence and retention, and typically after prostate or genital surgical procedure. Inform your physician if in case you have a catheter. This tube can typically harm the prostate, so you could have to postpone your PSA take a look at for as much as 6 weeks after elimination.
9. What to do: Deal with urinary tract infections
After a urinary tract an infection (UTI), it’s common for PSA ranges to extend as a result of irritation and irritation attributable to the an infection. Your physician can prescribe antibiotics to deal with the an infection. Irritation of the prostate gland, referred to as prostatitis, may also enhance PSA ranges.
takeout
The PSA take a look at is a crucial a part of prostate most cancers screening. Cancerous modifications could be detected years earlier than signs seem.
Sure components, reminiscent of infections or medicines, may cause falsely excessive or low outcomes and make the take a look at much less dependable.
Speak to your urologist about put together in your PSA take a look at and comply with their directions to enhance the accuracy of your outcomes.
