Prostate PSA Blood Test

A PSA test measures prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by the prostate gland, in a blood sample. Small amounts are normal and rise slowly with age as the prostate enlarges. A higher level can mean an enlarged prostate, inflammation or infection, or prostate cancer, and it is the first test used in the UK to decide whether a man needs further investigation, now usually an MRI scan. It cannot diagnose or rule out cancer on its own, but it is the standard starting point.

From £69 at Goodbody Clinic with a finger-prick kit posted to your home, £109 with the sample taken at one of 250+ clinics, or £129 with a nurse visiting your home. Each includes laboratory analysis and a GP report that interprets your level for your age. Private PSA tests in the UK typically cost £50 to £120; ours includes the doctor's report at every price.

Both. In the UK any man aged 50 or over can ask his GP for a PSA test, and GPs are expected to discuss and agree to it; under 50 without symptoms, a GP may decline. There is no NHS screening programme. If you want the test without a discussion, without waiting, or you are under 50, you can book one privately here, and the result can be taken to your GP if it needs following up.

There is no single normal value; PSA rises with age, so the NHS uses age-related thresholds for referral: roughly 3 ng/ml for men in their 50s, 4 for men in their 60s and 5 for men aged 70 and over. Your GP report interprets your result against the threshold for your age. A level above it does not mean cancer, since three in four men with a raised PSA do not have it, but it does mean the result should be repeated or investigated. A very high or rapidly rising level is treated more urgently.

For 48 hours before the test avoid vigorous exercise, especially cycling, and avoid ejaculation, as both can raise PSA temporarily. Do not take the test within six weeks of a urine infection or prostatitis, or within a week of a prostate examination or biopsy. Alcohol does not affect PSA directly, so a drink the night before is fine. No fasting is needed.

Only a biopsy confirms prostate cancer, and MRI is the best way to see whether one is needed. As blood tests go, PSA is the standard first step but a blunt one. Two newer blood tests improve on it: Stockholm3 (£595), which adds four proteins and genetic risk to give a risk score and works even when PSA is normal, and EpiSwitch PSE (from £729), which reads epigenetic markers alongside a recent PSA with 94 percent accuracy. If your PSA comes back raised, either can be a sensible next step before deciding on an MRI; which route to take is a decision for you and the clinician treating you.

If your PSA is well within range for your age, every two to four years is reasonable from 50, or from 45 if you are Black or have a father or brother who had prostate cancer, both of which roughly double your risk. If your result is borderline, your GP report will suggest a repeat, often in six to twelve weeks, to see whether it is rising. Men over 70 with a low PSA generally gain little from continued testing, which is why the NHS does not encourage it after that age.

Yes: this PSA test is available as a finger-prick kit posted to your home for £69, with the sample analysed in an accredited laboratory and a GP report included. It is the same PSA measurement as the clinic test. There is no home test that diagnoses prostate cancer; a raised PSA from any test leads to the same next steps.

In stages. A PSA blood test is the first step. If it is raised for your age, or rising, the next step is usually a prostate MRI, which shows whether there is an area that looks suspicious, and only then a targeted biopsy to confirm what it is. Newer blood tests such as Stockholm3 and EpiSwitch PSE can be used between the PSA and the MRI to decide who really needs a scan. Goodbody offers all of these without a GP referral, including a Prostate MRI for £599.

Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms at all, which is why testing matters. When symptoms occur they overlap with an enlarged prostate: needing to urinate more often, especially at night, difficulty starting or a weak flow, feeling the bladder has not emptied, and occasionally blood in the urine or semen. Bone pain, unexplained weight loss and erectile problems can be later signs. Any of these should be discussed with a GP whatever your PSA result.

Results are emailed within 3 to 5 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory, with a GP report that gives your PSA value, the threshold for your age and what to do next. If your level is raised, the report explains how to arrange a repeat or the next investigation.

Order the home finger-prick kit online, or book at any of 250+ Goodbody clinics across the UK or a nurse home visit. No GP referral is needed. Find your nearest clinic.