The symptoms of interstitial cystitis result from the inflammation of the bladder wall. Symptoms can include feeling the need to urine in a hurry (urgency) and frequent urination (frequency) that produces only a small amount of urine each time. Women may also experience pain during sexual intercourse, and there may be pelvic pain in both men and women. Painful ejaculation may occur in men. Other symptoms include pain with urination (dysuria).
Symptoms may vary between individuals in intensity. Symptoms of interstitial cystitis occur far more frequently in women than in men and often appear between the ages of 30 and 40.
Complications of interstitial cystitis include stiffness of the bladder and an ability to hold less urine. Interstitial cystitis can also reduce the quality of life because of frequent urination and pain. This can result in loss of sleep, depression and other problems....more about Interstitial cystitis »
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Interstitial cystitis includes the 24 symptoms listed below:
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The symptoms of IC vary from case to case and even in the same individual. People may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and surrounding pelvic area. 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 menstruation.
In IC, the bladder wall may be irritated and become scarred or stiff. Glomerulations (pinpoint bleeding caused by recurrent irritation) may appear on the bladder wall. Some people with IC find that their bladders cannot hold much urine, which increases the frequency of urination. Frequency, however, is not always specifically related to bladder size; many people with severe frequency have normal bladder capacity. People with severe cases of IC may urinate as many as 60 times a day.
Also, people with IC often experience pain during sexual intercourse. (Source: excerpt from Interstitial Cystitis: NIDDK)
The symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary greatly from one person to another but have some similarities to those of a urinary tract infection: decreased bladder capacity, an urgent need to urinate frequently day and night, feelings of pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina or anus and scrotum), which may increase as the bladder fills and decrease as it empties, painful sexual intercourse, in men, discomfort or pain in the penis and scrotum, in most women, symptoms usually worsen around the menstrual cycle. As with many other illnesses, stress may also intensify symptoms but does not cause them. (Source: excerpt from Interstitial Cystitis (Bladder disorder): NWHIC)
Onset of Interstitial cystitis: More common in middle-age to older women.
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The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Interstitial cystitis. This signs and symptoms information for Interstitial cystitis has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Interstitial cystitis signs or Interstitial cystitis symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Interstitial cystitis may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Interstitial cystitis symptoms.
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