Managing your urinary issues start with a thorough urological 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 Renal Profile or Renal Panel is a report showing the levels of minerals and substances in your blood as well as your renal function.

Together with your age, sex, body type and race, the levels of each substance in your bloodstream will tell your urologist your estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and if your kidneys are functioning properly.

This profile is usually obtained via a blood test.

A full blood count is obtained via a blood test and tells your urologist about the levels of each component in your blood.

A Peripheral Blood Film or a blood smear test will also be done to find out if you have any blood-related disorders.

This profile is usually obtained via a blood test.

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.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the cells in the prostate gland. Higher levels of PSA are usually associated with prostate cancer, inflammation or an enlarged prostate.

The PSA test results are obtained via a blood test.

For the Ultrasound scan:

• The prostate (for men), kidneys and bladder can be assessed for any abnormality.
  For the X-ray scan:
• Kidney stones can be visualised.

Both the ultrasound and X-ray scans 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

Urological screenings can help males identify prostate cancer which is also asymptomatic in its early stages. A Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test screens for prostate cancer in men. If you have higher levels of PSA in your blood with other risk factors like smoking or family history, then we may need to check for prostate cancer.

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.

No, you do not. Simply give our clinic a call, visit or email to book an appointment with our urologist, Dr Terence Lim.

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

Insurance coverage is dependent on the nature of and reason for your screening, and if you were referred by your General Practitioner. Please contact our staff for more details.

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.

A blood test is also needed to get your Renal Profile, Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test results and Full Blood Count.

For the blood test:

• Have sufficient sleep the night before
• Do not carry out any vigorous exercise before the test
• Eat a hearty breakfast or lunch on the day of the test but remember not to overeat as well

For ultrasound and X-ray scans:

• 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 needed unless your urologist instructs you to do so.

In the screening packages for both males and females, a blood test, urine test and imaging tests are done.

The only test where you may feel a little pain is during the blood test. A pinching sensation will be felt when the needle is inserted. Some bruising may occur at the site of injection as well.

Some discomfort may also be felt if you are required to undergo a vaginal or digital rectal examination.

Screening begins with a consultation with Dr Terence Lim 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, processing of test results can take up to seven working days.

If you have no symptoms of urinary issues and the results of your first test show that you are healthy, you do not need another screening until 5-10 years later.

Otherwise, just go for urological screenings whenever you have symptoms of urinary issues.