The PSA level in the blood, like many lab tests, has a rhythm based on the time of the day i.e., a diurnal rhythm. Therefore, obtain your PSA blood tests in either the morning or the afternoon, but not both.
You will need to avoid having sex or masturbating for 24 hours before your PSA test. That's because releasing semen can increase your PSA levels, which may make your results less accurate. Also, certain medicines may affect your test results, so tell your provider about any medicines you take.
At last — a PSA question with a simple, un-equivocal answer: Breakfast will not affect your PSA result, nor will lunch or dinner. In June 2005, doctors proved the point by measuring PSA levels three times over the course of a single day in 80 patients with an average age of 62 years.
We advise patients to drink water prior to testing as it will keep you hydrated and help raise the veins when the phlebotomist needs to take a sample. You must bring with you on appointment your blood test form.
PSA might have a diurnal variation and the timing of measurement could change the clinical practice for prostate biopsy. Methods: Male patients complaining of lower urinary tract symptoms (group 1) and diagnosed with prostate cancer (group 2) were recruited into the study.
One hundred forty (87.5%) and 26 (86.6%) patients had a decrease in the PSA levels when measured in the afternoon. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test determined a statistically significant difference between the PSA levels measured in the morning and in the afternoon in each group.
The PSA level in the blood, like many lab tests, has a rhythm based on the time of the day i.e., a diurnal rhythm. Therefore, obtain your PSA blood tests in either the morning or the afternoon, but not both.
There are currently no foods or beverages to avoid before taking a PSA test. While some foods might be linked to prostate conditions, no scientific evidence links the consumption of one food to elevated PSA levels. There is no need to avoid certain foods, coffee or alcohol before taking a PSA test.
Ages 70 and older:
Most men aren't advised to get the PSA test, since testing in this age group causes more harm than good.
Many factors like age and race can influence a man's baseline PSA levels. Medications, infections, digital rectal exams, and other things can temporarily skew PSA results to be higher or lower than baseline. An MRI scan helps create a more complete picture of prostate health.
Ejaculation causes a significant increase in the serum PSA concentration in men between 49 and 79 years of age that may persist for up to 48 hours. This change appears to correlate with age and baseline PSA.
Fasting is not required for serum PSA testing; however, serum PSA tests are often performed in combination with other diagnostic tests that do require fasting.
If you've had a recent UTI or catheter, hold off on the test for a few months. Both can cause prostate inflammation that can artificially elevate PSA levels. Abstain from sex. Ejaculation up to 72 hours before the test could raise PSA levels a minimal amount.
Physical activity like walking and riding a bicycle has been found to increase PSA levels. Because of this, men should avoid physical exercise, especially cycling for at least 24 hours before having a PSA level drawn.
Decoding a PSA Test
For men in their 40s and 50s: A PSA score greater than 2.5 ng/ml is considered abnormal. The median PSA for this age range is 0.6 to 0.7 ng/ml. For men in their 60s: A PSA score greater than 4.0 ng/ml is considered abnormal. The normal range is between 1.0 and 1.5 ng/ml.
Don't exercise 48 hours before your PSA test. Vigorous exercise — especially bicycling — can temporarily raise your PSA levels.
Conceivably, even a forced, hard bowel movement could elevate the PSA. Men should consider these things if they are having their blood drawn for a screen. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concluded in 2012 that screening for prostate cancer causes more harm than good.
Medical procedures on the prostate can elevate PSA levels . A recent prostate exam can cause false positives on a PSA test. Likewise, this can occur after inserting a urinary catheter or scope into the urethra.
Diet changes: A healthy diet that includes more fruits and vegetables with fewer amounts of meats may result in lower PSA levels. Excessive dairy products may contribute to poor prostate health.
The total dietary intake of sugars is independently and positively associated with serum PSA concentrations in adult American males who are without a personal history of malignant tumors.
New research shows that the Prostate Screening EpiSwitch (PSE) blood test is 94 per cent accurate - beating the currently used prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. The research team say that the new test shows significant potential as an accurate and rapid cancer screening diagnostic.
0-2.5: Normal for a man 40-50 yrs. 2.5-3.5: Normal for a man 50-60 yrs. 3.5-4.5: Normal for a man 60-70 yrs. 4.5-5.5: Normal for a man 70-80 yrs.
The authors recommend that the optimal time to obtain an accurate PSA level is fasting for 7–9 h, which avoids the increased PSA levels observed with fasting extremes as well as possible diurnal rhythm variations that may exist in shorter fasting times.