Objective To describe the voiding symptoms of Taiwanese women using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Subjects and methods A self- administered questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic characteristics and the IPSS used to determine the voiding symptoms of 583 consecutive women undergoing a health examination. The symptom stores of different age groups were compared using a one-way analysis of variance with a posteriori comparisons made using Scheffe's test. Results The seven symptom scores could be separated by factor analysis into two factors which corresponded with obstructive (incomplete emptying, intermittency, weak stream, and hesitancy) and irritative ( frequency, urgency, and nocturia) symptoms. Various degrees of frequency and nocturia were commonly reported by the respondents, whereas obstructive symptoms were infrequently reported, except in the elderly (age greater than or equal to 65 years). The irritative scores, obstructive scores and total scores increased significantly with age (all P 7, and 98 (17%) of the respondents reported being 'mostly dissatisfied' with their urination. However, only nine (1.5% ) of the respondents had ever consulted a urologist about their voiding problems. Conclusions There was an age- dependent change in voiding symptoms in these Taiwanese women. The prevalence of voiding symptoms in women is much higher than encountered in clinical practice. ; 醫學系泌尿科 ; 醫學系 ; 醫學院 ; 期刊論文