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Blood and lab tests

What Does PSA Mean on a Blood Test?

PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) · say it: pee-ess-AYAlso written: prostate-specific antigen, total PSA, free PSA

Short answer

PSA is a protein made by the prostate gland; its blood level can rise for several reasons, including enlargement, inflammation or cancer.

What it means

The prostate is a small gland in men that helps produce semen. It makes a protein called PSA, and a small amount normally enters the blood.

PSA can rise with an enlarged prostate (which is common with age), prostate inflammation or infection, recent ejaculation, vigorous cycling, some procedures, and prostate cancer. So a raised PSA is a reason to look further, not a diagnosis.

Doctors may repeat the test, look at how fast it changes, or use other tests before deciding on next steps. Some medicines for prostate enlargement lower PSA, which doctors take into account.

Where you may see it

Prostate screening and monitoring reports
Men's health check panels
Urology follow-up results

📄 How it looks on a report

PSA, total 4.6 ug/L H

🙅 What it does not mean

A raised PSA does not mean you have prostate cancer; most causes are non-cancerous.
A normal PSA does not completely rule out prostate cancer.
One result is less informative than the trend over time.

🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor

What could be raising my PSA?
Should the test be repeated, and is there anything I should avoid beforehand?
Do any of my medicines affect PSA?
What are the possible next steps, and what are their pros and cons?

🧾 Reports where you will see “PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen)”

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💊 Medicines whose labels mention “PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen)”

Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.

Finasteride
a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, a medicine that blocks an enzyme involved in making a hormone called DHT
Spironolactone
An aldosterone antagonist, a type of prescription medicine the FDA classifies this way

🔗 Read more from trusted sources

“PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen)” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “prostate specific antigen”
MedlinePlus lab test guides ↗
US National Library of Medicine

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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.