Prostate massage and PSA levels

@OneEyedWillie, quite the opposite. My PSA reading has also dropped to 2 after using an Aneros, but I am careful not to Ej or use an Aneros within 3 days of my blood work. The medico on the site slimjm has made comments in other similar questions.

OneEyedWillie,

It is recommended that you avoid prostate massage or ejaculation for a minimum of 72 hours prior to a PSA test. It is known that such activity can temporarily skew the PSA rating upward so it is best to allow your body to reach its natural homeostatic state before having that test performed.

There are numerous other interesting threads in the forum which discuss the PSA number and related issues, see ->
Aneros and PSA Test
How long to abstain from ANEROS use before PSA testing?
Serious qeustion - PSA score Good Vibes to You !

Thanks for the links! Before my next PSA test, I'll refrain from any Aneros use for 4 or 5 days. Hopefully that's all it will take to get my number back to normal.

I forgot this last year when I did my PSA and had activity with my Aneros along with ejaculation about 72 hours beforehand and my number bumped up slightly. A few weeks later I made sure there was absolutely no activity of any kind for a little over a week and my PSA, thank the Lord, was right back where it normally stays. So I'd say the usual recommendations for having no ejaculation for at least 72 hours prior to a PSA is good advice and though there may be no firm guidelines for the time frame that Aneros use be avoided, I'd suggest at least week or so.

Abstain from sex, aneros & bike riding, my doc suggested no aneros for 8 days prior. I have retested and seen significant drop in results, 5.8 dropped to 4.0, no aneros back then. Later tests slowly went up to 5.8 over several years, 4 months after beginning aneros, 5.8, 1 year later down to 4.0. My Doc appeared interested when I reported improved flow after using aneros for a while, too.

I am finding this discussion really interesting and absolutely germane just now!

I am aged 75 years and had my first PSA test in almost exactly five years last Friday, just 50 hours after completing a very rewarding session with my P3. This was my first Aneros session of any kind for just a week.

I haven't yet received the result of the test and am looking forward to seeing the outcome.

When I went in for my physical it had been almost 3 weeks since I'd had my blood drawn for the PSA test. So, when the Dr. asked if I had ejaculated prior to the blood being drawn, in the spur of the moment, I couldn't recall. Now that I think back on it, I'm pretty sure I had 2 Aneros sessions in the 3 days before the test with one if not both culminating in hands free wet orgasms. Needles to say, I now know better and won't be doing that again. My next blood draw/PSA test will be in a couple of weeks and hopefully it will be back to normal.
Somehow it seems odd to me that prostate massage and milking can be a good thing for the older males prostate, yet by doing so several days prior to a PSA test, it skews the number.

@OneEyedWillie, the PSA like all tests must be a standardized, that is the result need to be from prostates in similar conditions. The results are matched on prostates "at rest". The same as blood pressure that is taken when the clients are " at rest". It seems as if it takes a few days for our prostates to settle down after being active.

Seems to me to be some sort of contradiction here.

On the one hand, use of Aneros devices is supposed to assist in preventing prostate problems such as enlarged prostate and prostatitis and even prostate cancer(?) but on the other hand, several days of abstinence from Aneros activity is required to avoid raised PSA levels that are supposed to be a signal of precisely those problems.

Have I oversimplified this or am I wrong?

To clarify: the PSA tests the level of the prostate-specific antigen in the blood. This protein is produced by the prostate normally (to liquify semen). It's production rises when cells are growing (cancer or BPH) and if the prostate is inflamed. It may also, I guess, rise for no known reason.

The reason that the Aneros and ejaculation might artificially increase the PSA in the blood is simply mechanical: the pressure on the prostate increases flow of PSA into the blood.

I don't think this makes very much difference in PSA, its contribution is minor.

PSA can fluctuate a lot, independent of events like ejaculation. That is why a second test is often recommended if a first one is higher than expected.

There have been some claims and anecdotal evidence that Aneros use decreases BPH. I do not believe it. There would need to be very solid evidence and an explanation of the mechanism. BPH is tissue growth. Stimulating tissue and increasing blood flow would, if anything, help that growth. On the other hand, I do believe that the Aneros improves the *symptoms* of BPH (without shrinking the prostate), as its affect on the surrounding musculature might help urine flow. NOTE: I am not a doctor, so these are just my own amateur conclusions and may be incorrect.

Please remember it is increasingly thought that PSA is not a reliable marker for cancer danger, unless very high.

Darwin

@Darwin,

Thank you for that explanation. It certainly makes sense. As you can guess, I am not qualified either but what you have said here does confirm much of what I had already understood.

@Pommie, 75, looks such a big number. I never thought I would ever be 75.

Round of applause and a tip of the hat for @Rumel's links back to very valuable threads on this topic.

Buried those gems are some comments by @Darwin regarding the "Why's" underlying Antigen production. I keyed on his comments regarding Prostate engorgement. I don't know whether my Prostate is directly affected by a dose of E.D. medication or if my increased prostate awareness is secondary to mild engorgement of my Penis and Crus.

I'd conjecture that use of PDE5 inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and Udenafil) might be worth consideration as causative agents for varations in PSA.

Just got the results from my re-check and everything was normal. Can't say I was too concerned, but once you get a higher PSA reading there's always a bit of doubt that creeps into your head. Anyway, it all turned out well and I learned some things over the past month about better prostate health. Hopefully my mistake of using the Aneros just prior to my annual blood profile/PSA test will help someone else. Now I think I'm going to shop for my second massager. I think I see a Progasm Jr. In my future. 😀

PSA test isn't accurate all the time. Digital exam is the best. Doctor told me my prostate is size if 40yo and the aneros must work

Good thread. One of the reasons I bought my Helix was to promote prostate health...the side effects sounded pretty good also!