Marc Laniado MD FRCS(Urol) FEBU
CONSULTANT IN UROLOGY

  
   
       
 
Prostate enlargement
Prostate questionnaire
Urodynamic testing
Choosing a treatment
BAUS algorithm
Herbs and medicines
TUNA
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Prostate stent

IPSS Questionnaire for urinary symptoms possibly due to the prostate

A symptom score helps evaluate the severity of your symptoms when due to the benign enlargement of the prostate and quantify how much bother it causes. The IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) is the name for one of these questionnaires. This can be downloaded as an (IPSS Adobe PDF) and is shown below:

Please choose the answer from the table below each question that is closest to how you feel your symptoms are :

Question 1: Over the past month, how often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finish urinating?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 2: Over the past month, how often have you to urinate again less than 2 hours after urinating?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 3: Over the past month, how often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinate?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 4: Over the past month, how often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 5: Over the past month, how often have you had a weak urinary stream?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 6: Over the past month, how often have you had to push or strain to begin urinating?

Points Answer
0 Not at all
1 Less than 1 time in 5
2 Less than half the time
3 About half the time
4 More than half the time
5 Almost all the time

Question 7: Over the past month, how many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed at night until you got up in the morning?

Points Answer
0 0 per night
1 1 per night
2 2 per night
3 3 per night
4 4 per night
5 5 per night

Now, add the points for each question to give a score out of 35. The symptoms are graded as follows

  • Mild symptoms 0 to 7
  • Moderate symptoms 8 to 19
  • Severe symptoms 20 to 35

The final question is about your quality of life: If you had to spend the rest of your life with your condition as it now, how would you feel about it?

Points Answer
0 Delighted
1 Pleased
2 Mostly satisfied
3 Mixed (about equally satisfied and dissatisfied)
4 Mostly dissatisfied
5 Unhappy
6 Terrible

If you know the International Prostate Symptom Score and the Quality of Life score, it is much easier for doctors to plan your treatment (see FAQ).