Prostate self-test: Is your prostate causing problems? Take the test!

When men – especially when they are older – have problems urinating, it is usually due to an enlarged prostate. This simple test reveals whether you are already affected.

Taking the prostate test is very quick: it consists of seven questions about typical prostate problems. All you have to do is select one of the six answer options under each question – and you will get the result.

When the prostate causes problems

The risk of problems with the prostate increases with age: After the age of around 40, it is quite normal for the prostate to gradually enlarge. This change is benign (experts call it benign prostate enlargement or benign prostatic hyperplasia). But it can cause problems.

Around the age of 50, every second man already has an enlarged prostate, around the age of 90 even around 90 percent. Many affected men develop increasing prostate problems as a result of this progressive age-related enlargement of the prostate. However, these usually set in at the earliest from the age of 50.

The prostate problems can be associated with a strong psychological strain and thus significantly reduce the quality of life. The fact that an enlarged prostate causes symptoms that require treatment affects around 20 percent of men aged 50 to 60 and 40 percent of men over 70 in Germany.

Problems with urination are particularly typical of an enlarged prostate. This is due to the location of the prostate: it lies just below the urinary bladder and surrounds the upper part of the urethra. If the prostate is enlarged, it presses on the bladder and constricts the urethra: This can impede the flow of urine, cause urination and weaken the bladder muscles.

Experts summarize these typical prostate symptoms under the term “lower urinary tract symptoms” (LUTS). These include above all:

frequent urination in small amounts
increased urge to urinate at night
difficulty in wanting to empty the bladder
sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate
Difficulty starting to urinate
Urge to strain when urinating
weak stream of urine
interrupted stream of urine (urinary stuttering)
unintentional dribbling of urine
prolonged voiding time
persistent urge to urinate after urinating

The more severe the symptoms are and the older a man is, the higher the risk that his prostate problems will continue to increase. This can mean worsening lower urinary tract symptoms and/or complications.

Possible complications include, for example, frequent urinary tract infections, which often cause burning pain when urinating. Such infections can develop quickly if there is a residue of urine in the bladder after urinating. If the bladder cannot be emptied at all, there is urinary retention. This manifests itself in severe lower abdominal pain.

The vast majority of men who have problems urinating have a benign enlarged prostate behind it. Sometimes, however, the symptoms have other causes – such as a narrowing of the urethra (e.g. as a result of inflammation), a bladder emptying disorder caused by nerve damage or chronic prostate inflammation.

Difficulty urinating can also be a sign of advanced prostate cancer. However, this is rather unlikely: 40 percent of all men will develop prostate carcinoma in the course of their lives. However, the tumor only causes symptoms in about every tenth person affected.

How the prostate test works

The prostate test is based on the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS): This is a questionnaire developed by the American Urological Association in 1992.

The IPSS is used to record the extent of the symptoms of benign prostate enlargement and their impact on quality of life. Like the online test, it consists of seven questions about urinary problems that often occur with an enlarged prostate.

There are six answer options for each question (from “never” to “almost always”), for each of which a different number of points (from 0 to 5) are awarded. If all questions in the IPSS questionnaire or in the prostate self-test have been answered, the complaints can be classified as follows based on the total number of points:

0 to 7 points = mild symptoms
8 to 19 points = moderate symptoms
20 to 35 points = severe symptoms

Those who have only mild symptoms, according to the IPSS, usually do not need treatment. However, doctors advise affected men to monitor the further course – for example by repeating the prostate test every four weeks and seeking medical advice if the symptoms worsen.

In the case of moderate symptoms and existing suffering, it is advisable to start treatment as soon as possible. Severe prostate problems, on the other hand, should be treated as quickly as possible. The aim is to relieve symptoms, improve quality of life and prevent complications.

What the test reveals – and what it doesn’t

With the prostate test, problems with urination can be recorded and evaluated. If you repeat the self-test regularly, you can compare possible prostate problems and their severity over months or years and thus record the course of the disease.

The prostate test can thus help to decide whether treatment is necessary. It is also suitable for monitoring the success of the treatment.

However, a diagnosis cannot be made with the prostate test. Because by no means every man whose prostate is enlarged also feels significant symptoms. If the self-test results in zero points, this does not rule out an enlarged prostate.

Even more important is that the prostate test can help to identify and evaluate problems with urination. However, he does not reveal the cause of the problems. Because in addition to a benign prostate enlargement, other diseases can also lead to a high total score in the self-test.

Anyone who has problems urinating should therefore in any case – even if the symptoms are still mild according to the self-test – seek medical advice and, if necessary, be examined. Only a urological examination can show whether a benign enlargement of the prostate or something else is responsible for the symptoms.