IPSS calculator: the International Prostate Symptom Score
The questionnaire urologists use to measure urinary symptoms in men. It takes about two minutes, and you get a score you can take to your doctor.
Your IPSS score
0 out of 35
Mild symptoms
Many men with mild symptoms need no treatment. If they bother you, mention them at your next check-up. Simple habits help: drink less in the two hours before bed and cut back on caffeine and alcohol in the evening.
Moderate symptoms
Moderate symptoms are worth a visit to your doctor or a urologist. They will look for the cause (an enlarged prostate is common after 50, but it is not the only one) and go over the options with you, from lifestyle changes to treatment.
Severe symptoms
Book an appointment with your doctor or a urologist soon. At this level symptoms usually affect sleep and daily life, and there are effective treatments. Take this result with you.
- Emptying symptoms (questions 1, 3, 5, 6)
- 0/20
- Filling symptoms (questions 2, 4, 7)
- 0/15
- Quality of life
- · 0/6
See a doctor promptly, whatever your score, if you have:
- Blood in your urine.
- Pain or burning when you urinate, or fever.
- Sudden loss of bladder control.
- Inability to urinate at all: go to the emergency room.
This questionnaire measures how much your symptoms bother you; it does not diagnose their cause. The same symptoms can come from an enlarged prostate, an infection, an overactive bladder, diabetes or, less often, prostate cancer. Only a doctor can tell them apart.
What the IPSS measures
The International Prostate Symptom Score started in 1992 as the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index, developed by a committee of urologists and validated in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It was later adopted internationally, with one question on quality of life added, and translated into many languages.
Seven questions cover the most common lower urinary tract symptoms over the past month: incomplete emptying, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak stream, straining and getting up at night. Each one scores from 0 to 5, so the total runs from 0 to 35. European and American urology guidelines recommend a validated questionnaire like this one to assess men with urinary symptoms and to follow them over time.
How to read your score
| Total score | Severity |
|---|---|
| 0–7 | Mild symptoms |
| 8–19 | Moderate symptoms |
| 20–35 | Severe symptoms |
The quality-of-life question is scored separately, from 0 (delighted) to 6 (terrible), and is not added to the total. Two men with the same score can be bothered very differently, and doctors weigh both numbers when deciding whether and how to treat.
Emptying and filling symptoms
Doctors often split the seven questions into two groups, and the result above shows both subtotals:
- Emptying (voiding) symptoms, questions 1, 3, 5 and 6: feeling the bladder is not empty, a stream that stops and starts, a weak stream and straining. They usually point to something slowing the flow of urine, such as an enlarged prostate.
- Filling (storage) symptoms, questions 2, 4 and 7: going often, urgency and getting up at night. They relate to how the bladder fills and holds urine, and have more possible causes, including an overactive bladder and drinking habits.
Getting up at night in particular has many causes besides the prostate: drinking late in the evening, some heart and kidney conditions, diabetes and sleep apnea among them. Tell your doctor if it is your main problem.
How to use your result
- Take it to your appointment. Print the result or save it as a PDF. It gives your doctor a standard starting point and saves time.
- Repeat it to track change. Answer about the past month each time. In a large trial, men who said they felt slightly better had seen their score fall by about 3 points on average, so small changes can matter.
- Expect more than a questionnaire. To find the cause, a doctor may examine the prostate, test your urine, check your blood (including PSA if you both agree), or ask you to keep a bladder diary.
For mild symptoms that bother you, urology guidelines start with simple habits: spreading your drinks through the day and drinking less in the evening, cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, and reviewing with your doctor any medicines that can affect the bladder.
Frequently asked questions
Does the IPSS diagnose a prostate problem?
No. It measures how often you have urinary symptoms and how much they bother you, not what causes them. An enlarged prostate, a urinary infection, an overactive bladder, diabetes and some medicines can all cause the same symptoms. Your doctor uses the score together with an examination and tests.
Does a high score mean prostate cancer?
Not necessarily. Severe urinary symptoms are much more often caused by benign prostate enlargement or other non-cancerous conditions, and early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms at all. Whether to test for prostate cancer is a separate decision to discuss with your doctor.
Can women take the IPSS?
The IPSS was designed and validated for men. Women can have the same symptoms and some studies have used the questionnaire in women, but the severity bands on this page were set for men. Women with urinary symptoms should talk to their doctor.
How often should I take it?
Take it before a medical appointment, and again whenever you want to track change: every few months, or a few weeks after starting or changing a treatment. Always answer about the past month so the results are comparable.
Are my answers saved or sent anywhere?
No. The score is calculated in your browser and nothing you select leaves your device. Closing or reloading the page erases your answers, so print or save the result as a PDF if you want to keep it.
Can I put this questionnaire on my website?
Yes, for free. Copy the embed code below and paste it into your page. It works on clinic websites, health blogs and patient group pages.
Sources
- 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):1549-57.
- Barry MJ, Williford WO, Chang Y, et al. Benign prostatic hyperplasia specific health status measures in clinical research: how much change in the American Urological Association symptom index and the benign prostatic hyperplasia impact index is perceptible to patients? J Urol. 1995;154(5):1770-4.
- Badía X, García-Losa M, Dal-Ré R, et al. Validation of a harmonized Spanish version of the IPSS: evidence of equivalence with the original American scale. Urology. 1998;52(4):614-20.
- European Association of Urology. EAU Guidelines on Management of Non-neurogenic Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS), 2026 edition.
- American Urological Association. Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Attributed to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) guideline.