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                    Urologic Diseases
                    Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome)
                    Symptoms & Causes

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        Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome)
        Definition & Facts
                Symptoms & Causes
                Diagnosis
                Treatment
                Eating, Diet, & Nutrition
                Clinical TrialsSymptoms & Causes of Interstitial Cystitis
What are the symptoms of IC?
People with interstitial cystitis (IC) have repeat discomfort, pressure, tenderness or pain in the bladder, lower abdomen, and pelvic area. Symptoms vary from person to person, may be mild or severe, and can even change in each person as time goes on.
Symptoms may include a combination of these symptoms:
Urgency
Urgency is the feeling that you need to urinate right now. A strong urge is normal if you haven't urinated for a few hours or if you have been drinking a lot of liquids. With IC, you may feel pain or burning along with an urgent need to urinate before your bladder has had time to fill.
Frequency
Frequency is urinating more often than you think you should need to, given the amount of liquid you are drinking. Most people urinate between four and seven times a day. Drinking large amounts of liquid can cause more frequent urinating. Taking blood pressure medicines called diuretics, or water pills, can also cause more frequent urinating. Some people with IC feel a strong, painful urge to urinate many times a day.
Pain
As your bladder starts to fill, you may feel pain—rather than just discomfort—that gets worse until you urinate. The pain usually improves for a while once you empty your bladder. People with IC rarely have constant bladder pain. The pain may go away for weeks or months and then return. People with IC sometimes refer to an attack of bladder pain as a symptom flare.
Some people may have pain without urgency or frequency. This pain may come from a spasm in the pelvic floor muscles, the group of muscles that is attached to your pelvic bones and supports your bladder, bowel, and uterus or prostate.  Pain from pelvic floor muscle spasm may get worse during sex.
What causes IC?
Researchers are working to understand the causes of IC and to find treatments that work. Even though the exact cause of IC is unknown, you may find that certain events or factors start, or trigger, your symptom flares. Symptom flares can make your IC feel worse. Some people have reported that their symptom flares happen when they6
are stressed, or have certain emotions, such as anger or sadness
    have sex
    have a menstrual cycle
    have a urinary tract infection
    urinate or hold urine for too long
    skip meals or are dehydrated
    feel changes in the seasons or the weather
    have allergies
    go through sudden or bumpy movements
    take certain medicines or forget to take their medicines
    wear tight pants and undergarments
    use laundry detergents with certain chemicals or are in pool water with certain chemicals
    use certain brands of toilet paper
    do certain physical activities, like pushing or lifting heavy objects
    stand for long periods of time
    have a Pap smear
    take antidepressants, sinus medicines, or pain relieversTalk with your health care professional about flare management. If you know which factors make your symptoms flare, you may wish to avoid them. However, if factors that affect your health—like having sex, having a Pap smear, or taking certain medicines—make your symptom flares occur, talk with your health care professional right away.
You may also want to learn more about which foods and drinks may trigger your symptom flares.
References
[6] Sutcliffe S, Bradley CS, Clemens JQ. Urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome flares and their impact: qualitative analysis in the MAPP network. *International Urogynecology Journal.* 2015;26(7):1047–1060.        Last Reviewed July 2017
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