Does Ejaculation Affect PSA? Temporary Changes and Timing Before Testing
Yes. Ejaculation can temporarily increase the PSA level in the blood, particularly during the first several hours after ejaculation. The effect is usually small and short-lived, but it can matter when a PSA result is close to a clinical threshold or when small changes are being compared over time. A practical approach is to avoid […]
Can Prostatitis Raise PSA? Inflammation, Infection and Repeat Testing
Yes. Prostatitis can raise PSA because inflammation or infection of the prostate can increase the amount of prostate-specific antigen entering the bloodstream. The rise can be mild or substantial and may persist after urinary or pelvic symptoms begin to improve. An elevated PSA during prostatitis does not prove prostate cancer, and PSA is generally more […]
PSA After Prostate Biopsy: Why Levels Rise and When They Return Toward Baseline
PSA usually rises temporarily after a prostate biopsy because biopsy needles physically disrupt prostate tissue and allow more prostate-specific antigen to enter the bloodstream. The increase can be large immediately after the procedure and may remain measurable for several weeks. Current European guidance recommends delaying PSA testing for at least one month after prostate biopsy […]
PSA After Prostatectomy: Expected Levels, Biochemical Recurrence and Monitoring
After radical prostatectomy, PSA should fall to an undetectable level because the prostate—the main source of PSA—has been removed. Current European guidance expects PSA to be undetectable by about two months after surgery. A PSA that never becomes undetectable is called persistent PSA, while a PSA that first becomes undetectable and later rises is a […]
When Should Men Start Prostate Cancer Screening? Age, Risk and Shared Decision-Making
There is no single age when every man should start prostate cancer screening. For men at average risk, major urology guidelines generally begin the screening discussion between ages 45 and 50. Men with higher-risk features—including Black or African ancestry, a strong family history or certain inherited cancer-risk mutations—may need to begin earlier, often between ages […]
PSA Screening With a Family History of Prostate Cancer: When Risk Changes Testing
A family history of prostate cancer can raise a man’s risk and can justify starting PSA screening earlier than someone at average risk. Risk is greatest when a father or brother was diagnosed young, when several close relatives have prostate cancer, or when a relative developed metastatic disease or died from it. A family history […]
What Happens After an Elevated PSA? Repeat Testing, Risk Assessment, MRI and Biopsy
An elevated PSA is not the same as a prostate cancer diagnosis. After a high PSA result, the usual next step is to confirm the elevation, review temporary and benign causes, and then estimate cancer risk more carefully with clinical history, prostate examination and selected tests such as PSA density, percent-free PSA, MRI and—when necessary—biopsy. […]
PSA Test vs Digital Rectal Exam: What Each Evaluates in Prostate Screening
A PSA test and a digital rectal exam evaluate the prostate in different ways. PSA is a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen circulating in the bloodstream. A digital rectal examination, or DRE, is a physical examination in which a clinician feels the back surface of the prostate through the rectal wall for abnormalities such […]
PSA vs Prostate MRI: Biomarker Testing vs Imaging in Cancer Risk Assessment
PSA and prostate MRI evaluate prostate cancer risk in completely different ways. PSA is a blood biomarker that indicates how much prostate-specific antigen is circulating in the bloodstream, while prostate MRI creates detailed images of the gland to identify and localize areas that may contain clinically significant cancer. PSA usually helps determine whether further assessment […]
Prostatitis and Prostate Pain: Infection, Inflammation, CP/CPPS, Diagnosis and Treatment
Prostatitis is not one disease. The term includes acute bacterial infection of the prostate, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), and asymptomatic prostate inflammation. These conditions can all involve the prostate, but their causes, urgency, diagnostic tests and treatments are different. In particular, chronic pelvic pain should not automatically be assumed to […]