Screening

You should book a urology screening appointment as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms:

• Blood in your pee or semen (for men)
• Frequent urination at night (nocturia)
• Difficulty in starting urination
• Inability to urinate despite feeling the urge to do so
• Weak urine flow
• Pain when urinating
• Leaking urine when carrying out certain activities or the inability to hold your urine (incontinence)

These symptoms may be a sign of more severe conditions like bladder cancer or a recurrent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) which urgently require medical attention. However, the exact underlying condition can only be diagnosed through screening.

Even if these symptoms do not indicate a more severe condition, everyone deserves to have a proper voiding system. So if you do experience these symptoms, you should get yourself checked out by the urologist as soon as possible. Don’t let voiding issues affect your quality of life.

A sample of your urine will be taken for lab testing, where the appearance, concentration of substances and contents of the urine will be analysed.

The Urine Analysis will help your urologist with the detection and diagnosis of conditions like Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), Proteinuria (Protein in the urine) or Blood in the Urine.

For the Ultrasound scan: 

• The prostate (for men), kidneys and bladder can be assessed for any abnormality.

The ultrasound help your urologist check if abnormalities in the genitourinary tract are the cause of your urinary issues. An example would be Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. This refers to an abnormally enlarged prostate, which can narrow the urethra and result in symptoms like weak urine flow.

A Uroflow test measures the amount of urine voided during urination, the speed of urination and the time you take to urinate as you pee into a special funnel connected to a measuring device. This test will help your urologist figure out if there is a blockage in your flow.

The Post-Void Residual Urine Test is usually done immediately after you urinate. During this test, your urologist may conduct the following to measure the volume of urine left in your bladder:

• Bladder ultrasound or
• Use a catheter to drain out residual urine (rarely)

This helps your urologist determine if you have underlying conditions such as bladder outlet obstruction or dysfunctional voiding.

Just knowing your symptoms alone is often not enough to diagnose you. The diagnostic tests carried out during screening allow your urologist to assess

• Your kidney function
• The structure of your urinary tract
• The functionality of your urinary tract

The results of the tests will allow your urologist to give you a more accurate diagnosis of any underlying urological conditions and prescribe a more personalised treatment plan.

As you age, you are more likely to develop urological conditions. While these conditions may adversely affect your quality of life, they are actually very treatable if an early diagnosis is obtained.

For females, urological screenings are recommended once you hit menopause. This normally occurs between the ages of 45 to 55 and is when your risk of developing a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) increases.

For males, if you are aged 40 years and above, you should also start getting regular urological screenings. At this age, your prostate may enlarge to cause problems with urine flow which can be dangerous if not well managed.

Starting screening at these ages will give you a higher chance of successfully treating any underlying urological conditions and if nothing is wrong, the screening will at least give you peace of mind.

Even if you do not have any symptoms of urological issues, screening is still recommended as some urological conditions may be asymptomatic.

If you are a male that is older than 40, you will also have an increased risk of having these conditions:

• Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (non-cancerous)
• Overactive bladder

If you are female, screenings can help diagnose underlying conditions like: Microscopic hematuria – requires more detailed investigations as it can be due to various causes like stones or tumours.

If your test results are all okay and you continue to have no symptoms of urinary issues, you will not need another screening until 10 years later.

After your screening, Dr Fiona Wu will go through your screening results. If you have any questions about your results, do voice them during that session.

For males, the prostate area will be checked during a screening as males are significantly more likely to develop prostate problems such as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostatitis.

For ultrasound:

• Remove all piercings and jewellery in the abdominal area
• Avoid using lotions, creams or perfume.
• Wear loose-fitting clothing

For the Uroflow test:

• You may be advised to drink 4 glasses of water before coming
• Do not empty your bladder before going for a screening

Apart from these, no other preparations are needed before the screening is conducted. Fasting before the screening is also not required unless your urologist instructs you to do so.

Screening begins with a consultation with Dr Fiona Wu where she will get a detailed medical history and understanding of your concerns and symptoms. All screening tests can be completed in a single day.

However, should any additional testing and imaging is required, processing time of these results may take up to seven working days.