Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic ailment of the bladder that affects roughly 4 million Americans, based on a recent study. A person with interstitial cystitis suffers from Polyuria (Female Urinary Incontinence), which is an excessive passage of urine in the body. A healthy adult’s average urination per day is no more than 7 times. A patient with Interstitial Cystitis however, frequents the bathroom up to 60 times in a 24-hour period.

Interstitial Cystitis Definition

Interstitial Cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder that causes pain and discomfort. The bladder is an organ in the body that stores urine from the kidneys and holds it until it gets expelled from the body. Inflammation to the bladder (Bladder Surgeries) that is associated with Interstitial Cystitis causes the muscle fibers that make up the walls of the bladder to stiffen, which affects the way that the bladder expands. In certain cases, bleeding is visible in the lining of the bladder. In nearly 50% of patients with Interstitial Cystitis, the symptoms spontaneously disappear. It’s quite common however, for the symptoms to return in an average of 8 months.

Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms

Patients with Interstitial Cystitis experience roughly the same symptoms of a patient with a Urinary Tract Infection (Female Urinary Retention), or UTI. Although patients’ symptoms vary from case to case, some of the common symptoms are the following.

Interstitial Cystitis Info. & Symptoms

• Mild to intense pain in the bladder and surrounding regions. The area between the anus and vaginal area for women, and anus and the scrotum for men.

• Urgent urge to urinate, even if there is only a small amount of urine to be expelled.

• Pain that intensifies during menstruation (8 Menstrual Cycle Facts and Myths) for women.

• Painful sexual intercourse for women, pain in ejaculation for men (Painful Ejaculation).

• Discomfort or pain in the scrotum for men.

Interstitial Cystitis Diagnosis

Interstitial Cystitis’ symptoms mimic that of other conditions. There are no specific tests for Interstitial Cystitis and it is only diagnosed after all possible causes are ruled out through testing. The other illnesses that may cause the same symptoms are the following.

• Urinary Tract Infection

• Vaginal Infection (Yeast Infections or Candidiasis)

• Sexually Transmitted Disease (What is STD?)

• Endometriosis (Women Hormone Balance | Natural Hormone Balancing)

• Kidney Stones (Bladder Stone Removal)

• Bladder Cancer (Bladder Cancer Wiki Page)

• Chronic Prostration (Chronic Non Bacterial Prostration and Diet)

The physician will ask the patient about the symptoms and perform tests accordingly. Again, the physician will only rule Interstitial Cystitis is the diagnosis after all conditions mentioned above have been ruled out.