UGSA Interstitial Cystitis Painful Bladder Syndrome Information Sheet

Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a chronic condition (symptoms persist for more than 6 weeks over 3 months) that causes pain or discomfort attributed to the bladder. It is associated with a sudden desire to pass urine (urgency) as well as having to urinate very often (frequency). Women are affected more often than men. Some women find that their symptoms are worse around the time of menstruation, when they are more stressed than usual, or when eating certain foods (triggers). Some of the symptoms are listed below.

Urgency – during the day or night

Frequency – sometimes up to 20x per day, as well as multiple voids overnight

Pressure/pain around the bladder area – this gets worse as your bladder fills up and improves when you empty your bladder

Your bladder may not hold a lot of urine

Pain with intercourse.