Check your prostate symptom score
Answer 8 quick questions to see whether your enlarged prostate symptoms are mild, moderate or severe, and what you can do about it.
What your IPSS score means
The IPSS adds up seven answers, each scored 0 to 5, for a total from 0 to 35. It is the same questionnaire urologists use worldwide to track enlarged prostate symptoms.
0 to 7
Mild
Symptoms are there but manageable. Keeping an eye on things and healthy habits are often enough.
8 to 19
Moderate
Symptoms affect sleep, travel and plans. Medicines are the usual first step, and a check-up is worth having.
20 to 35
Severe
Symptoms are a daily burden. Please get checked soon. Several treatments can help.
Moderate or severe? Your options
A higher score does not mean you must have an operation. Most men start with medicines. If they stop working, cause side effects, or you would like to avoid surgery, prostate artery embolization (PAE) may be an option for selected men. It is done through a tiny puncture in the wrist or groin, usually under local anaesthesia and often as a day-case. We check your scans and health at the consultation, and tell you plainly if it is not right for you.
Living with a catheter?
How PAE can help you get rid of it
Read the guideTold you are unfit for surgery?
PAE for older men and higher-risk men
Read the guideWorried about your sex life?
What to know about ejaculation and erections
Read the guideAlso see our guides on blood in the urine from an enlarged prostate and on symptoms that return after Rezum or UroLift. Want the full evidence? Read prostate artery embolization for BPH or see how the treatment works.
IPSS score questions
Plain answers about the prostate symptom score and what to do next.
The IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) is a short questionnaire doctors use to measure urine symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate (BPH). It asks seven questions about emptying, frequency, stop-start flow, urgency, weak stream, straining and getting up at night. Each is scored 0 to 5, so the total runs from 0 to 35. A separate question asks how much the symptoms bother you.
A score of 0 to 7 is considered mild, which is close to what many healthy men have. A score of 8 to 19 is moderate, and 20 to 35 is severe. The higher the score, the more your symptoms are likely to affect daily life.
A score of 12 is in the moderate range (8 to 19). It usually means your symptoms are noticeable, for example waking at night or a weaker stream. A prostate ultrasound and PSA blood test are a sensible next step, and there are several treatment options.
No. Medicines are usually the first treatment for moderate symptoms, and many men do well on them. If tablets stop working, cause side effects, or you would like to avoid an operation, there are other options, including prostate artery embolization (PAE), which suits some men. Your scans, prostate size and health decide what is right for you.
No. The IPSS measures urine symptoms only. Enlarged prostate and prostate cancer can cause similar symptoms, so a PSA blood test and an examination are important. Please see a doctor if you have blood in your urine, bone pain, or a very high or rising PSA.
Doctors usually repeat it when treatment changes, or every few months while symptoms are being managed. A drop of a few points after treatment usually means it is working.
In an international study that followed 405 men with bothersome symptoms, the average IPSS fell from 21.8 to 9.3 three months after PAE, and was 11.2 two years later. The quality-of-life score also improved, from 4.7 to 2.3. PAE is not suitable for every man, which is why we assess your scans first.
Dr. Nagateja Bonala, an interventional radiologist at Clinic Seven, assesses men with enlarged prostate symptoms and explains every option, including prostate artery embolization. Bring your prostate ultrasound, PSA and list of medicines.
References
- Barry MJ, et al. The American Urological Association symptom index for benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol. 1992. Read the source
- Lerner LB, et al. Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Attributed to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: AUA Guideline Part I. J Urol. 2021. Read the source
- Sapoval MR, et al. Two-Year Outcomes of Prostatic Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: An International, Multicenter, Prospective Study. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2024. Read the source
This calculator is for information and is not a diagnosis. It does not replace an examination by a doctor.