NIH-CPSI Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Score Calculator

Self-assessment · Takes about two minutes

Score your chronic prostatitis symptoms using the same nine-question index urologists and researchers use.

The NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) is the standard questionnaire for measuring the symptoms of chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). It scores three things separately — pain, urinary symptoms and the impact on your quality of life — and gives a total out of 43. It is the measure used in most clinical trials of CP/CPPS treatments, so the number it gives you is one your doctor will recognise.

This is a symptom score, not a diagnosis. It measures how bad your symptoms are. It cannot tell you what is causing them — a bacterial infection, a urethral stricture, bladder problems, pelvic floor dysfunction and other conditions can produce similar answers. Nothing is sent anywhere; the calculation happens in your browser.

The Nine Questions

For each one, think about the last week.

— / 43 Answer all questions

Pain 0/21Urinary 0/10Quality of life 0/12

Your score appears here as you answer. Nothing is stored or sent.

How the Score Works

The index has three parts, each scored on its own and then added together.

Part	Questions	Range	What it measures
Pain	1–4	0–21	Where it hurts, pain with urination or ejaculation, how often, and how bad
Urinary symptoms	5–6	0–10	Incomplete emptying and frequency
Quality of life impact	7–9	0–12	How much the symptoms limit and preoccupy you
Total	1–9	0–43	Overall symptom burden

What the Total Means

0 – 14

Mild

Symptoms are present but limited. Worth tracking, and worth mentioning at your next appointment.

15 – 29

Moderate

A common range for men living with CP/CPPS, and the range where treatment is usually discussed.

30 – 43

Severe

Significant impact on daily life. See a doctor rather than self-managing this range.

The 6-Point Rule

The score is most useful when you repeat it. Researchers studying chronic prostatitis treat a drop of about 6 points in the total as a change men actually notice. So score yourself today, write the number down, and score again in four, eight and twelve weeks — whatever treatment you are trying. A trend across several scores tells you far more than how you feel on any given morning, because CP/CPPS symptoms tend to come and go.

See a doctor promptly, whatever your score, if you have:

Fever or chills with pelvic or urinary symptoms
Blood in the urine or semen
Complete inability to urinate
Symptoms that came on suddenly or are getting worse quickly

These can point to a bacterial infection or another problem that needs prompt treatment.

What This Score Cannot Tell You

It cannot tell you why you have symptoms. Chronic prostatitis is a diagnosis made after other causes have been ruled out, usually with a urine test, a physical exam and sometimes further tests. If you haven't been assessed yet, take your score to your doctor and start there.