Abstinence recommended prior to prostate specific antigen (PSA) test
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Ejaculation up to 48 hours before a prostate cancer test may cause false positive readings, warns Joseph Oesterling, professor of surgery and director of the Michigan Prostate Institute, University of Michigan, US. In a prospective study of 64 healthy men aged between 49 and 79, researchers measured PSA levels at one, six, 24 and 48 hours after ejaculation and again after a week. PSA levels were highest one hour after ejaculation and back to normal for 97% of men two days later.