IPSS, International Prostate Symptom Score

Seven questions scored 0-5 on lower urinary tract symptoms, plus a separate quality-of-life question.

Updated 31 Aug 2026 · Methodology

All questions refer to the past month.

1. Sensation of not emptying the bladder completely after urinating

2. Having to urinate again less than two hours after finishing

3. Stopping and starting again several times while urinating

4. Finding it difficult to postpone urination

5. A weak urinary stream

6. Having to push or strain to begin urination

7. How many times you get up at night to urinate

Quality of life: how would you feel if your urinary condition stayed as it is now

Not included in the symptom score

About this calculator

The questionnaire covers seven lower urinary tract symptoms: incomplete emptying, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak stream, straining and nocturia. The total runs from 0 to 35: 0-7 mild, 8-19 moderate, 20-35 severe. The eighth question on quality of life stays out of the total and is rated separately from 0 to 6, because tolerance of these symptoms varies between people more than the symptoms themselves: a patient with 12 points and a quality-of-life score of 5 needs treatment more clearly than one with 18 points and a score of 1. The name misleads: the scale measures symptoms, not the prostate. The same points come from overactive bladder, infection, urethral stricture, diabetes and an evening diuretic, which is why the questionnaire is also used in women, where the name applies only loosely. Change matters more than a single measurement: a difference of 3 points is considered clinically perceptible and works well for judging response to treatment.

Source

Barry MJ, Fowler FJ Jr, O'Leary MP et al. The American Urological Association symptom index for benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 1992;148(5):1549-1557.

Formula version: barry-1992-v1

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Drugs

Finasteride, Dutasteride, Tamsulosin

About this calculator

Source

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