Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a term used to describe the condition of bladder pain or discomfort with a frequent and often urgent need to pass urine. Nine in ten people with IC are women. People with interstitial cystitis may have a bladder wall that is inflamed and irritated (red and painful). In severe cases, the bladder wall inflammation can scar and stiffen the bladder so it can’t easily expand as urine fills it. Some women get pinpoint bleeding of the bladder wall when it is stretched or have ulcers or fissures of the bladder lining which may lead to pain, frequency and urgency. Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS) is another name for the condition when there is no abnormality visible in the bladder. Bladder Pain Syndrome is the name suggested to include both IC and PBS.

People with interstitial cystitis may have many of the following symptoms:

• An urgent need to urinate, both in the daytime and during the night.

• A frequent need to urinate. Women with severe cases of IC may urinate as many as 20 times a day or more.

• Pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina). This pain and pressure may increase as the bladder fills and decrease as the bladder empties.

• A bladder that won’t hold as much urine as it did before.

• Pain during sexual intercourse.

The symptoms of IC vary greatly from person to person and even in the same individual. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. In many women, the symptoms get worse before their menstrual period. Stress may also make the symptoms worse, but it doesn’t cause them.