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• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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Summary

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a condition that causes discomfort or pain in the bladder and a need to urinate frequently and urgently. It is far more common in women than in men. The symptoms vary from person to person. Some people may have pain without urgency or frequency. Others have urgency and frequency without pain. Women's symptoms often get worse during their periods. They may also have pain with sexual intercourse.

The cause of IC isn't known. There is no one test to tell if you have it. Doctors often run tests to rule out other possible causes of symptoms. There is no cure for IC, but treatments can help most people feel better. They include:

• Distending, or inflating, the bladder
• Bathing the inside of the bladder with a drug solution
• Oral medicines
• Electrical nerve stimulation
• Physical therapy
• Lifestyle changes
• Bladder training
• In rare cases, surgery

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Definition and Facts of Interstitial Cystitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Interstitial Cystitis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Interstitial Cystitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms and Causes of Interstitial Cystitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Treatment for Interstitial Cystitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Interstitial Cystitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cystitis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cystitis, Interstitial (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Carry-over effects in GAG therapy efficacy trial solution for bladder pain...
• Article: The role of netrin-1 in the diagnosis and prognosis of bladder...
• Article: Characteristic genes and immune landscape of interstitial cystitis.
• Interstitial Cystitis -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Women

• Bladder Pain (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Interstitial cystitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish