PSA reading of 12 - 62 year old male no symptoms

No sex and no  prostate trauma like riding a bike or stationary bike.

Hi Barry,

A PSA of 12 could be significant. You may want to wait about 2 weeks and get re-tested. I recommend no sex, no masturbation, no strenuous exercise, and no bicycling or motorcycle riding within 3-4 days of your test. If the result is still high, request a 4K test, or if that's not available, an MDX test prior to agreeing to a biopsy. Both of these are urine tests that they do right after a prostate massage. They identify genetic markers that give an indication of cancer that may be present, therefore can help with a decision about whether a biopsy is needed.

Good luck. Please let us know how you are doing.

Best,

Fred 

Don't ride a bike in the three days before the PSA test, have sex or pass a hard stool.

Hi everyone, many thanks for all your helpful suggestions.

I  already have the 2nd PSA blood test booked for 11 days after the first one so I will probably keep that appointment, rather than waiting 14 days (the doctors letter said a 2nd test in a week or two).

I will take your advice on board and let you know what happens after the second test.

Thanks again.

 

Hey Barry,

Listen to Fred. I had two biopsies that turned out to be completely un necessary. I had a third biopsy to find out that the suspected area was caused by the second biopsy.

After the second biopsy I got a spermatic cord infection that took 4 weeks of ciproflaxin with associated risks to clear up.

I wish I had known about the mdx test before all this happened to me.

Don't let the uro bully you into anything. The treatments are changing for prostate problems. I am going tomorrow for a PAE. My GP did not even know what it was. His specialty is reproductive health.

No, for someone your age it should be nearer 3. I wouldn't worry about that particularly as it could be due to a test close to the cycling/spin class you do, as others suggest. PSA is a bit of blunt instrument anyway. Try knocking off the cycling at least before your next test. All the advice so far is good advice.

Berry  Yes you have to watch a lot of things when taking a PSA.  Exercise Sex Running  Different food.  Before you have it again.  Watch and be careful.  And don't let anyone take you in to anything  Good Luck  Ken 

Please make sure their are NO UTI s lurking ...You should get a  culture on your urine Will take a few days to get results..Make sure they do the culture, not just the stick.

Best of Luck to you!

Yes, I just had the same results. My PSA just recently was 12 up from 9 after having a Button Turp about 1 1/2 years ago for BPH. The doctor had a MRI done using a T3 machine which is a must for the prostate. He did not want to blindly do a biopsy without having some idea what may be going on and where to direct the needles. I'm glad he did because they saw a leason in the transitional area of the prostate. He said that had we not done the MRI, the chances of locating anything via biopsy or digital rectal exam would have been like finding a needle in a haystack. This area is not usually checked due to it being on the back side of the prostate.

Prior to my last PSA test, the numbers would fluctuate drastically. Sex, bike riding and almost anything that stimulates the prostate (even being constipated) will give you a greater than normal reading. He once gave me some antibiotics and I stayed away from all exercise and sex for a week and my PSA went way down. Also if you do a lot of sitting or driving your PSA will go up. At least I figured that out over time.

Just make sure you don't have a needle biopsy before checking for other issues first. You may just have a big prostate. Mine is 165 ml and a normal one is 40 ml that is 4 times the PSA. A big prostate gets irritated faster and with little to no effort. There are a lot of things down there that are rubbing up next to it and the bigger means more friction.

Insurance covered it all after some convincing. It seems insurance companies don't like spending $ for MRI's. The MRI is the new way of looking at the prostate. It will tell you everything and you may not need a biopsy,  if it looks good.

Good luck

I would take a different path in the process. I would have an MRI and have it read by a doctor specializing in prostate cancer. There are two or three Interventional Radiologist that can view the film who h can be done in any city, and sent to them to tell you if a lesion is present. Then I would have a focal biopsy with a singal needle, of the specific tissue. The 12 needle biopsy is very random and inaccurate. Also, it cause prostate infection and when done, you must then wait 6 to 8 weeks to follow it with an MRI as an option.

Also with the MRI you will know you prostate size and density which determines the correct range for a psa score for that particular prostate. Then, if desired at that time you could always follow up and go ahead and get the painful 12 needle biopsy. The 3 TMRI is not painful and gives more data with more accuracy while still allowing options. Just a thought.

Thanks everyone, that's all interesting stuff.