All,
I just got my results from the blood draw two weeks ago. After 5 months of HRT, my PSA level (prostate specific antigen) is down to 0.8 ng/ml, from a high of 5.8 from a year ago! The lowest was 1.2 at age 52 when I started getting this screening. The liver, thyroid, cholesterol and the rest of the numbers are now in the normal range! A PSA number of 3.0-4.0 ng/ml is a trigger for that nasty anal probe prostate cancer biopsy.
The unecessary, negative-result prostate cancer biopsy screenings cost the american male $2 billion a year total according to Consumer Reports, May 2011, pg. 12.
A new test to augment, but not replace the PSA screening is in review by the FDA. This is a prostate cancer DNA marker test that has a lot less false positive and negative test ratings than the PSA screening. The PSA screening has a 85% false positive rate. I can now wait for that!
Remember, HRT will not cure prostate cancer, just slow it down! It will decrease the PSA numbers from a cancer condition only slightly! It will really decrease your chances of prostate cancer if you started HRT before 50 (45 if African-American) though.
If your over 50, (45 if African-American) get the PSA screening anyway. Even if you're on HRT or got the SRS. My high numbers may have been caused by an inflammed or overagitated prostate caused by high testosterone spikes. Some inflammation may be caused by viruses or bacteria. See your doctor for detection and treatment for those. BPH (Benign Prostate Hypoplasia, enlarged prostate) is the main cause for those high numbers. The prostate will shrink some on HRT and let some of you older ones pee without a catheter!
My experience with the earlier test results with the herbal remedies are here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,97168.new.html#new A very happy Joelene!
