The BioSURE Prostate Health Test measures your level of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in your blood.

PSA is a protein that is produced in the prostate gland and is widely used as an indicator of the possibility of prostate cancer. Screening for prostate cancer usually also involves a physical examination.

Many things can alter the level of PSA in your blood, but your result is useful for discussions with your doctor.

A negative PSA test does not rule out the possibility of prostate cancer, so you should speak to your doctor immediately if you have any relevant symptoms such as back pain, erectile dysfunction, difficulty starting urinating, poor or intermittent urine flow, dribbling after urinating, urinating more at night, blood in your urine or semen and/or pain during urination or erection. 

A positive PSA test does not mean that you definitely have prostate cancer, but you should seek an urgent medical review if you do receive a positive test, for a full assessment of your prostate and overall health.

About 1 in 8 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. PSA screening may help you detect prostate cancer early.

Some prostate cancers are slow growing and do not spread, some do not even need treatment. If treatment is required, then earlier diagnosis gives more treatment options, better health outcomes and is more likely to be cured.

It is normal to have a small amount of PSA in your blood, but as you get older, the levels can increase because your prostate gets larger.

The main reasons for increased risk of prostate cancer are getting older (it mainly affects men aged 50 and older) and having a family history. Ethnicity can also have an impact.

If you notice changes and find you are urinating or feeling you need to urinate more frequently (especially in the night) then it can be worth considering testing, although other conditions can cause this.

Some men like to test regularly every year or so if they know they have an increased risk of prostate cancer.

This test measures the Total Prostate Specific Antigen.

PSA is a protein produced in your prostate gland and the level of PSA in the blood is often elevated in people with prostate cancer, which is why it is used as part of an assessment of risk and diagnosis.

No, you do not need to fast for this test, but it is recommended that you take your sample first thing in the morning.

PSA is a protein made by the cells in your prostate gland. It is made by healthy cells, but it is also made by malignant cells which is why an increased PSA level may be a sign of prostate cancer.

It is normal for PSA levels to go up as you get older as your prostate gets larger.

There are lots of reasons you may have an increased level of PSA in your blood, some medical, some not.

Medical reasons can include a urinary tract infection (UTI) or a urinary tract irritation and there are some medications that can affect your PSA levels (please see the bullet point above 'Is there any reason for me not to have a PSA test). A recent prostate (rectal) examination and also having a catheter can also increase PSA levels.

Non-medical reasons include exercise, cycling, masturbating and sexual activity.

A PSA test cannot alone diagnose whether you have prostate cancer or prostate related problems. Many men with raised levels of PSA do not have prostate cancer. And normal levels of PSA also does not rule out prostate cancer.

This self test will give you an indication of your PSA level, which you can use to speak to your doctor about.

If you have lower levels of PSA, it is recommended that you get in contact with your GP to discuss your options but there are simple lifestyle changes you can make to decrease your risk of prostate cancer.

PSA tests are used to look for possible signs of prostate cancer but cannot diagnose if you have cancer.

If your result comes back as normal levels, this means that your PSA levels are below the cut off point and suggests that you are at a lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

Having normal or low PSA levels does not rule out the possibility of prostate cancer, so you should speak to your doctor immediately if you have any relevant symptoms such as:

• unexplained back pain
• erectile dysfunction
• difficulty starting urinating
• poor or intermittent urine flow
• dribbling after urinating
• urinating more at night,
• blood in your urine or semen and/or pain during urination or erection

A raised level of PSA suggests that you may have a problem with your prostate but does not mean that you do have prostate cancer. You should seek an urgent medical review if you do have high levels. Your doctor will recognise your results and is likely to perform more tests, including a physical examination to fullly assess your prostate and overall health.

There are many reasons your PSA levels may be increased even if you don't have prostate cancer. These include masturbation, sexual activity (especially anal intercourse), high levels of exercise and cycling.

Prostate cancer does not usually cause symptoms until it has grown big enough to put pressure onto your urethra, (the tube that carries urine from your bladder out through your penis).

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

• needing to urinate more frequently, especially during the night
• needing to rush to the toilet
• difficulty in starting to wee
• straining or taking a long time to urinate
• weak urine flow
• feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied
• blood in your urine or semen

These symptoms do not always mean you have prostate cancer.

Your prostate gets larger with age and can also can increase in size because of a non-cancerous condition called benign prostate enlargement.

• Age - as you get older, your risk of prostate cancer increases. Those aged 50 and above are considered at higher risk.
• Family history - if a close family member on your paternal side has been previously diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 65, your risk is higher.
• Race - those of black ethnic origin are at an increased risk of prostate cancer, for reasons that are still fairly unknown.
• Diet and lifestyle choices - if your diet is high in animal fats, you may be at an increased risk of getting prostate cancer later in life.

Lifestyle choices play the largest role in affecting PSA levels, so changing your diet and exercise routines can naturally bring down your PSA levels, leading to better prostate health, and benefit your overall health.

Losing Excess Weight - cancer (not just prostate cancer) is more common in overweight and obese people and studies have shown that obesity can also increase the aggressiveness of cancers.

Small changes that you can make to your diet to lower your PSA levels include

• Eat more tomatoes - in addition to containing antioxidants that might protect against cancer, they contain lycoprene which researchers have shown can help lower PSA levels.
• Drink green tea - it's full of antioxidants and in Asian countries where men drink large amounts of green tea, they have some of the lowest prostate cancer rates in the world.
• Take Vitamin D - not having enough vitamin D has been linked to a higher risk of having prostate cancer and research has also shown that people with higher levels of vitamin D have lower PSA levels.

Increasing Exercise - exercise is always linked to an increase in quality of life, so incorporating daily exercise into your routine is always a good idea, but a study from Harvard School of Public Health has demonstrated that men who engaged in “long-term vigorous exercise” had a “30% lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer and 25% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer” than those who did not.