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Chronic Pelvic Pain
The pain can be unbearable, many times worse than a urinary tract infection. One woman described it as a knife twisting inside her bladder. As if that weren’t bad enough, women often visit eight or nine doctors before it’s accurately diagnosed.
The condition is Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and about 1 million Americans – most of them women – suffer from it.
But there is hope. Doctors at Hutzel Women’s Hospital are skilled in diagnosing and treating the condition. With support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers are now exploring the causes of IC and new treatments.
- What is Interstitial Cystitis?
Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the bladder wall. For some reason, the protective layer of the bladder is not present in women with IC. Without this protective layer, the chemical content of urine is very irritating to the bladder and the muscles and nerves that surround the bladder.
Symptoms include severe pain and urinary frequency. Women with IC may feel the need to urinate up to 20 times a day.
IC is often misdiagnosed as endometriosis, urinary tract infection or irritable bowel syndrome. In some cases, IC is closely associated with these other conditions.
- Diagnosis
Before diagnosing Interstitial Cystitis, a number of other diseases must be ruled out, including bladder infection, bladder cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, neurological disorders, kidney disease, and vaginal infections.
After ruling out other causes, the two main diagnostic tools are a potassium sensitivity test and cystoscopy.
In the potassium sensitivity test, two solutions are instilled into the bladder. About three fourths of women with IC will have more discomfort or urinary urgency with one of the two solutions.
Alternatively, a gynecologist may perform cystoscopy to diagnose the condition. Cystoccopy is a procedure in which a scope is used to view the inside of the bladder and urethra. The patient’s bladder is filled with water and checked for the hemorrhages and ulcerations that are the hallmark of IC.
- Treatment
Gynecologists at Hutzel Women’s Hospital use the latest techniques to treat Interstitial Cystitis. The primary treatments are dietary modification and a solution of medications instilled directly into the bladder. These medications can help to replace the protective layer of mucus that is missing in women with IC.
Other treatment options include:
- Oral medications
- Stress reduction techniques
- Bladder hydrodistention (slowly stretching the bladder with fluid)
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