My husband is 46 and has had blood in his semen a numbe of times. He's visited his GP and had a rectum examination and blood tests, which I'm assuming to be PSA? He's due to go back to the GP for his results. I'm planning on going with him but would appreciate any pointers really, as to what questions we should definately ask. I've read that the PSA results aren't always a reliable indicator so, are there any other investigations we should press for? To be honest, I think i've 'over- googled'
Hi Maggie, it sometimes happens when taking the BluePill before having sex. I hope this will help you... don't panic..
and let me know
The blood draw for PSA should be done before the rectal prostate exam. The prostate exam will increase PSA. PSA can be elevated for inflammation, BPH, cancer. Intercourse two days prior can elevate PSA. Some doctors find it so unreliable that they don't use it anymore.
Next step could be prostate biopsy or a cystoscopy. Did they give an estimate of the size of his protate after the DRE?
Thanks so much for the quick replies.
Foreverhappy- thanks but no Bluepill involved! Will let you know what happens though.
Camster - Thanks, too. To be honest, I'm not sure of the order of the tests/examinations. My husband purposely told me only a little about it as he knew i'd panic. Do you know what other Drs use instead of PSA, which is more reliable?
Hi Maggie, it sometimes happens when taking the BluePill before having sex. I hope this will help you... don't panic.. and let me know
Google 'urine test for prostate cancer' for a new prostate cancer test that is now supposed to be available in the very unlikely scenario that it is his problem.
At this stage he would have been wise to not have told you. Why give you an uneccesary cause to worry?
For screening for prostate cancer, would look at Free PSA and PCA3 (prostate cancer gene 3) using a urine sample for the latter. PSA is too non-specific. It has caused many men to have an needed biopsy. The 4.0 limit is arbitrary.
I meant unneeded biopsy.
Thanks again to you all. I've spent a while reading up on the information given. I'll repost when we have the resulls. Take care x
Hi Derek. I don't think they did (I wasn't at the meeting) but, I will ask about this. Thanks
He really should be seeing a good UROLOGIST, not a gp. If you had unusual bleeding from your vagina, hopefully, you would see a gynecologist, an expert specialist in that area. The same holds for your husband. Please let us know how this goes.
Neal
People often say see a 'good urologist' but with the NHS you see who you get and seldom the same one twice. Many are locums or assistant registrars though now they are called CT1's and CT2's.
Here is some advice from NHS:
It's unusual to find blood in your semen when you ejaculate, but try not worry – it is usually only temporary and the cause is rarely anything sinister.The semen may be blood stained, brownish-red in colour or have a pink tinge – but in any case, you should see your GP for a full investigation.
In many cases, no obvious cause can be found for blood in the semen, in which case it may be the result of a forgotten or unnoticed injury to the genitals, such as a trouser-zip accident.
Some other likely causes of blood in the semen are outlined below. This is intended to give you a better idea of the underlying problem, but you should not use it to diagnose yourself with a condition – always see your GP for a proper diagnosis.
Common causes
Common causes of blood in semen include:
vesiculitis – inflammation of the seminal vesicles (glands that produce most of the fluid in ejaculate)
seminal vesicle calculi – small stones in the seminal vesicles
seminal vesicle cysts – small, fluid-filled sacs in the seminal vesicles
prostatis – inflammation of the prostate gland (where semen is made)
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – a common condition in older men, where the prostate gland becomes enlarged
having had a prostate biopsy (where a needle is used to remove small samples of tissue from your prostate gland) within the last three or four weeks
These problems are generally not serious and many will get better on their own without treatment, or after a course of antibiotics.
Less common causes
Less often, blood in the semen can be a result of:
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – including genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis
severe high blood pressure (hypertension)
a blood clotting disorder
cancer – including prostate cancer, testicular cancer and bladder cancer
These conditions are more serious and may require specialist treatment"
End of NHS advice!
"Trouser zip injury" I think I'd notice!
Oh and there is one other that affects some people and that is "eating beetroot" which can colour the semen! And the urine
Brownish blood is old blood that has been in the system for a while such as after a biopsy and red blood is fresh new blood.
Hi Maggie, Skip the GP or take the test results to a good Urologist. There should be several to pick from in your area. Check each one in your area out online and find one that is no older than 60 years old. I thought I had a good Urologist that just turned 71, until I found a much better Urologist closer to my age 59. The PSA test is looking for signs of cancer. Any PSA number above 6.0 or changing from 3 to 8 and back down and back up could be signs for concern. If it is say around 7.0 (which is a little high), but only moves to 7.4, then 7.2, then 7.0, then 7.5, then 7.3, then I would not be concerned. But the blood in the semen is concerning, keep an eye on this and talk to the Urologist about it.
But as I and others have posted this depends where in the world you are! If you are in UK there is no way [apart from paying privately] that you can "skip the GP". S/he is the first port of call and will look at the results and decide whether to prescribe or to send you [back?] to the urologist. There may be "several to pick from" but in the NHS you will get the Urology team at your local hospital [though you could request a different hospital].
I do note from a moderator that there will - at some time in the be an indication as to where a poster is. That may help to focus advice somewhat as this is a UK website and if we reply from UK then the advice is slanted to how medicine is practiced in UK [i e generally free at point of delivery]
Even as a private patient you need to be referred by your GP.
You can usually identify the Americans by expressions they use like Doctor's Office or EKG rather than ECG in cardiology groups. They also use different figures for cholesterol and blood glucose readings.
Yes although you can go to a private "GP" as well ...
Sometimes too with other countries the style gives it away that they are not in UK.
You are correct, at least in my case. I am in the US. We sometimes have the same problem here, depending on the insurance company we have to deal with, we may have to go through a gp to get approval to see a specialist such as a urologist. The problem, as I pointed out before, is that the gp frequently is not qualified to deal with this type of problem. In fact, it is hard to find a urologist who really understands these problems and is qualified to deal with them, but one has a better chance with a urologist. Under the circumstances, all one can do is speak frankly and courteously about your desire to speak with a urologist, and hope you can convince the gatekeeper gp to let you through. It's unfortunate that we have to deal with these administrative problems to get the medical care we need. The bottom line is that these problems are best dealt with by a good urologist, and we have to jump through the necessary hoops to get to one, even if we have to pay out of our own pockets. Finding the correct answers to these problems is too important to allow ourselves to be tied around the axle by these administrative issues.
Neal