Normal voiding behaviour in women. Study of the I-PSS in an unselected population of women in general practice.

Abstract

To define the normality of voiding behavior in women. We evaluated 161 women of all ages, consulting in general practice for problems other than voiding disorders. Women were tested with the International Prostatic Symptom Score (I-PSS), originally defined to evaluate patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, in view of the nonprostatic specificity of each of its component questions, and its easy use. The normal replies to each question are less than 1 for questions concerning obstructive symptoms, i.e. each of the obstructive symptoms investigated was never or only rarely (less than 1 in 5 voidings) present, while the normal replies to the questions concerning irritative symptoms were between 1 and 2, i.e. these symptoms, frequency and urgency, are commonly observed by the great majority of women, provided they occur less than once every two voidings. Nocturia is a normal finding provided it occurs less than or equal to 2 per night. Quality of life was strongly correlated with obstructive and irritative symptoms, and the most troublesome voiding disorder was urgency. Those characteristics remain remarkably stable with age. Moderate irritative symptoms are a normal component of the voiding behavior in women.