Dr. Saurabh Subhash Pandya
Urology
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Four months ago, my PSA was 2.1 ng/ml. Also, an ultrasound was done and it was found that I had an enlarged prostate. I had another PSA test today and it is 3.1 ng/ml. First, when I had the ultrasound done, my urologist prescribed Finasteride but I never had it. Now I am thinking I should take Finasteride because it jumped up to 3.1 ng/ml. Also at the time of PSA 2.1 ng/ml, I had just finished taking antibiotics for a UTI.
Kindly help.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I read your query and understand your concern.
PSA (prostate-specific antigen) can fluctuate a bit even if done from the same lab. It can also change if done after recent ejaculation. Urine infection can also increase the levels. I would suggest you get a urine culture done and start another course of antibiotics (at least 15 days) and repeat PSA after one month from now. If PSA remains in a 2 to 4 range it should be ok. If you start Finasteride (given when prostate size is above 30 g) remember it can show lower PSA levels. So if one month after starting Finasteride, your PSA is showing 1.5 ng/ml, it is actually double (3.0). This is just for your information. If you are on Finasteride, we have to multiply the PSA level by two to get actual PSA levels. We usually look at PSA after one and three months of infection to see the trend. If the trend is down, it means the PSA rise was due to infection and nothing more to be done. If the trend is up despite taking antibiotics, we should go for further tests.
I hope this helps you.
Thank you for consulting me.
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