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Interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a chronic bladder health issue. It is a feeling of pain and pressure in the bladder area. Along with this pain are lower urinary tract symptoms which have lasted for more than 6 weeks, without having an infection or other clear causes.
Symptoms range from mild to severe. For some patients the symptoms may come and go, and for others they don't go away. IC/BPS is not an infection, but it may feel like a bladder infection. Women with IC/BPS may feel pain when having sex. The more severe cases of IC/BPS can affect your life and your loved ones. Some people with IC/BPS have other health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other pain syndromes.
The bladder and kidneys are part of the urinary system, the organs in our bodies that make, store, and pass urine. You have 2 kidneys that make urine. Then urine is stored in the bladder. The muscles in the lower part of your abdomen hold your bladder in place.
Interstitial Cystitis (IC) or Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) or IC/BPS is an issue of long-term bladder pain. It may feel like a bladder or urinary tract infection, but it’s not. It is a feeling of discomfort and pressure in the bladder area that lasts for six weeks or more with no infection or other clear cause. There may also be lower urinary tract symptoms like a regular, urgent need to pass urine. If you or a loved one has IC/BPS, it is of great value to learn how to control symptoms and relieve pain.
You don’t have to feel pain to have IC/BPS. Some patients only describe an intense pressure in the bladder.
For some, IC/BPS symptoms come and go and may range in severity. For others, they persist. Some people with IC/BPS also have irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and other problems. Symptoms can make everyday life very difficult. These are the most common symptoms:
Pain
Pain (often with pressure) may be constant or may come and go. The pain can get worse as the bladder fills. Some patients feel discomfort in other areas as well, such as the urethra, lower abdomen or lower back. Women may feel pain in the vulva or vagina. Men may feel pain in the scrotum, testicle, penis or rectal area. Both women and men with IC/BPS can have sexual problems as a result. Sex for women is painful because the bladder is right in front of the vagina. A man may have pain a day after having an orgasm.
Frequency
IC/BPS sometimes starts with urinary frequency. The average person passes urine seven times a day and does not have to get up at night more than once to use the bathroom. Frequency is the need to pass urine more often than the average person both day and night.
Urgency
Some IC/BPS patients have a constant urge to pass urine, even right after urinating. A patient may not notice this as a problem because it develops gradually. In other cases, the sense of urgency is much more dramatic, with symptoms occurring within days. It is unusual to experience urine leaks with IC/BPS. If you are leaking urine, it might be a sign of another problem.
IC/BPS May Affect Your Life
IC/BPS symptoms can get in the way of your social life, work life, exercise and sleep. IC/BPS can affect your relationships with your spouse, family and friends. Without treatment, IC/BPS symptoms make it tough to get through your day. It’s hard to feel comfortable. Too little sleep from IC/BPS symptoms may leave you tired and unhappy. For some people with IC/BPS, eating can be an issue. Sometimes symptoms get worse after a meal. It may also make you avoid intimacy because of the pain you may experience during or after sex. Overall, this condition can cause a great deal of distress.
There’s no proof that stress causes IC/BPS. However, it is well known that physical or mental stress can make IC/BPS symptoms worse.
Symptoms that may mean you have IC/BPS
Do you have pain or pressure in your lower abdomen or pelvic area?
Do you pass urine frequently?
Do you have an urgent need to pass urine day and night?
Do some foods or drinks make your symptoms worse?
Do you find that certain exercises make you feel worse?
Do you have pain during or after sex?
Do urine tests fail to show the signs of a bacterial infection?
Be sure to see your doctor if you answer 'yes' to any of the above questions.
Experts don’t know exactly what causes IC/BPS. Some possible causes may include:
A defect in the bladder tissue. This defect may allow substances in the urine to weaken the tissues or cause ulcers (open sores).
Something in the urine damages the bladder.
A specific type of inflammatory cell, called a mast cell, may be detected in the bladder. If so, this cell causes an allergic reaction that may lead to IC/BPS symptoms.
Changes in the nerves that carry bladder sensations occur. This may cause pain with events that are not normally painful (such as bladder filling).
The body's immune system attacks the bladder. This is similar to other autoimmune conditions.
Having a family member with this condition may increase your chance of getting it. Some people may be more likely to get IC/BPS after an injury to the bladder, such as an infection.
Unfortunately, there is no medical test that says a person has or doesn’t have IC/BPS. To make a diagnosis, your doctor will decide whether or not your symptoms are typical of IC/BPS. Next, they’ll need to rule out other health issues, like an infection, that might cause the same symptoms.
When it’s diagnosed, IC/BPS is typically found to affect women two to three times more often than men. Data have shown the risk of IC/BPS increases with age. As many as three to eight million women and one to four million men in the United States may have IC/BPS. However, these numbers may not tell the true rate of disease because IC/BPS is often misdiagnosed in men and women. IC/BPS in men is often mistaken for another disorder, such as chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. In women in their early twenties, IC/BPS is also commonly misdiagnosed.