Ask your doctor if you should avoid ejaculation for a few days before a PSA test. To avoid this type of elevation, doctors will usually draw blood for a person's PSA level before doing a rectal exam. "These types of PSA elevations are usually not enough to make a significant difference unless your PSA is borderline. PSA should return to normal in two to three days." "Ejaculation can cause a mild elevation of your PSA level, and so can having a digital rectal exam," says Milner. Ejaculation Is a Potential Cause of Mildly Elevated PSA Having BPH increases your risk for a urinary tract infection. In men, most urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria and respond well to antibiotics. If you’ve been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, be sure to wait until after the infection has cleared up before you get a PSA test. "Any infection near the prostate gland, including a urinary tract infection, can irritate and inflame prostate cells and cause PSA to go up," says Milner. High PSA Levels From a Urinary Tract Infection Your primary care doctor may be able to tell the difference between BPH and prostate cancer by doing a digital rectal exam, but commonly this will require evaluation by a urologist and further testing, such as a biopsy or imaging studies. It may not need to be treated unless it’s causing frequent or difficult urination. Castle.īPH is the most common prostate problem in men over age 50. " BPH means more cells, so that means more cells making PSA," explains Dr. In Men Over 50: BPH May Be the Cause of High PSAīenign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement of the prostate gland, but it’s not prostate cancer. "Since it takes about two to three days for PSA to go down by half, you should wait two to three weeks after this type of trauma to do a PSA test," Milner says. "One of the most common causes of significantly high PSA from this type of trauma is the placing of a catheter into the bladder."Īnother cause is a prostate or bladder exam that involves passing a scope or taking a biopsy.
"Anything that traumatically interferes with the architecture around the prostate gland can make PSA go up," says Dr. Another, more common type of prostatitis, called nonbacterial prostatitis, can be harder to treat and may last a long time. Prostatitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. Prostatitis is the most common prostate problem for men younger than 50. "Common causes of inflammation in the gland, called prostatitis, can cause high PSA levels." Castle, MD, a urologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. "The PSA test is a good screening tool for prostate cancer, but it is not very specific," says Erik P. Prostatitis: A Common Problem in Men Under 50 "At age 40, a PSA of 2.5 is the normal limit," says John Milner, MD, a urologist in the Chicago area. "By age 60, the limit is up to 4.5 by age 70, a PSA of 6.5 could be considered normal." 2. Aging Affects PSA LevelsĮven without any prostate problems, your PSA level can go up gradually as you age. In the meantime, here are seven reasons, besides prostate cancer, your PSA level could be above normal. The final recommendation statement is now being developed. But in 2017 the USPSTF released new draft guidelines that encourage doctors to discuss the potential benefits and harms of using the PSA test to screen for cancer in men ages 55 to 69. MHRA 'PSI', All Acronyms, 23 June 2022, Bluebook All Acronyms, PSI (Jun. PSI, All Acronyms, viewed June 23, 2022, MLA All Acronyms. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from Chicago All Acronyms. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Quote Copy APA All Acronyms.