Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms
Interstitial cystitis symptoms vary from person to person and even in the same person. People with interstitial cystitis may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and surrounding pelvic area.
Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome is a condition that can cause pain and other symptoms. People with interstitial cystitis have an inflamed or irritated bladder wall. This inflammation can lead to:
- Scarring and stiffening of the bladder
- Less bladder capacity (the bladder is able to hold less urine)
- Pinpoint bleeding in the bladder lining
- In rare cases, ulcers form in the bladder lining
Interstitial cystitis affects between 700,000 and 1 million Americans. While it can affect children and men, most of those affected are women, about 90 percent. The disorder can have a long-lasting adverse impact on your quality of life.
Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis
Symptoms may include an urgent need to urinate (urgency), frequent need to urinate (frequency), or a combination of these symptoms. Pain may change in intensity as the bladder fills with urine or as it empties. Women's symptoms often get worse during their periods. Pain during sex is common.
Some people find that their bladders cannot hold much urine, which increases the frequency of urination. Yet some people with severe frequency have bladders that can hold a normal amount of urine. People with severe cases of interstitial cystitis may urinate as many as 60 times during a 24-hour period.
Although interstitial cystitis is chronic, for most people it isn't progressive, which means that however mild or severe your symptoms, they won't usually get worse over time. For many, the severity of symptoms fluctuates, and for some, the condition goes into periods of remission. Rarely, some people may experience rapidly worsening symptoms associated with a smaller bladder that's unable to hold a normal amount of urine.
Although there's no treatment that reliably eliminates the symptoms of interstitial cystitis, a number of medications and therapies offer relief. Work with your doctor to find what works best for you.
Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms to I
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