_ What Can Affect Your PSA Test Numbers
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During your visit to the doctor's office last week you had some blood drawn so it could be analyzed. The objective was to get your PSA test numbers. This isn't your first time for this. But you always feel uneasy that they might not be within the normal range.
If that's the case what's it mean? Does it point to prostate cancer? Does it suggest you've got serious problems ahead? What's the next step if they do come back elevated?
Geez, all the drama should remind you of your youngest who just turned 16. Granted high PSA levels might not be the best thing that ever happened to you. They can be a sign that prostate cancer has taken hold. Or maybe not. There are other problems with your prostate that can contribute to an elevated PSA score. And they have nothing to do whatsoever with prostate cancer. Just to help you relax here are some of the other possibilities on the high(er) PSA dance card.
BPH: You've seen the TV commercials. Maybe you've been developing a case of enlarged prostate otherwise known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Maybe you can see why most refer to this as BPH. At times this can mess with your PSA so that the numbers come back higher than they should.
Another Birthday or Two. As guys get older what passes for a normal PSA slides up the scale. It's only natural. How things go. And normally nothing to be alarmed about. This is where judgment comes into play. Your doctor's. They can decide if the increase in PSA warrants a closer look or not.
Prostate Infection: This one is a bit trickier. Prostatitis or an infected prostate can cause you to throw off higher PSAs too. This is a sometimes hard to diagnose inflammation of your prostate gland that could be a bacterial infection.
Amorous Activities: Sex within 48 hours of the blood draw might pump up the numbers some. If you're concerned take a three day vow of abstinence. It's for a good cause anyway.
Sure a rising PSA can be a cause for concern. It means your doctor may need to do some more testing. It can signal something is amiss in that pesky gland that is cancerous. It can also mean other things are going on which account for the rise. So don't sweat it. A confirming test would be the first thing that you might expect. And the mere act of doing that doesn't mean you'll need to get up to speed on what your Gleason score means either. (Gleason score being another test that gives your urologist an idea of how aggressive your cancer may or may not be.) Take it a step at a time.
_
During your visit to the doctor's office last week you had some blood drawn so it could be analyzed. The objective was to get your PSA test numbers. This isn't your first time for this. But you always feel uneasy that they might not be within the normal range.
If that's the case what's it mean? Does it point to prostate cancer? Does it suggest you've got serious problems ahead? What's the next step if they do come back elevated?
Geez, all the drama should remind you of your youngest who just turned 16. Granted high PSA levels might not be the best thing that ever happened to you. They can be a sign that prostate cancer has taken hold. Or maybe not. There are other problems with your prostate that can contribute to an elevated PSA score. And they have nothing to do whatsoever with prostate cancer. Just to help you relax here are some of the other possibilities on the high(er) PSA dance card.
BPH: You've seen the TV commercials. Maybe you've been developing a case of enlarged prostate otherwise known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Maybe you can see why most refer to this as BPH. At times this can mess with your PSA so that the numbers come back higher than they should.
Another Birthday or Two. As guys get older what passes for a normal PSA slides up the scale. It's only natural. How things go. And normally nothing to be alarmed about. This is where judgment comes into play. Your doctor's. They can decide if the increase in PSA warrants a closer look or not.
Prostate Infection: This one is a bit trickier. Prostatitis or an infected prostate can cause you to throw off higher PSAs too. This is a sometimes hard to diagnose inflammation of your prostate gland that could be a bacterial infection.
Amorous Activities: Sex within 48 hours of the blood draw might pump up the numbers some. If you're concerned take a three day vow of abstinence. It's for a good cause anyway.
Sure a rising PSA can be a cause for concern. It means your doctor may need to do some more testing. It can signal something is amiss in that pesky gland that is cancerous. It can also mean other things are going on which account for the rise. So don't sweat it. A confirming test would be the first thing that you might expect. And the mere act of doing that doesn't mean you'll need to get up to speed on what your Gleason score means either. (Gleason score being another test that gives your urologist an idea of how aggressive your cancer may or may not be.) Take it a step at a time.
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