Symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary in type, severity, and duration. People with IC can experience various combinations of symptoms at different times in their lives, or even throughout the day.
Primary IC symptoms are:
Pain between the vagina and anus in women or the scrotum and anus in men
Frequent urination, often of small amounts, throughout the day and night
Persistant and or urgent need to urinate
Pain or burning on external genitalia
Diagnosing Interstitial Cystitis
Pelvic pain
Feeling of pressure in pelvis
Pain during intercourse
Burning upon urination
Blood in urine
Cloudy or foul smelling urine
By the way, only a doctor or healthcare provider can diagnose interstitial cystitis. Even you satisfy all the symptoms, it is not wise to make autodiagnosis. We now proceed to
how is interstitial cystitis diagnosed in detail.
1. Take a biopsy, most likely during cystoscopies, to test for differential diagnoses such as cancer.
2. Perform a urinalysis and urine culture to assess for the presence of bacteria. The presence of bacteria indicates a urinary tract infection, which may rule out interstitial cystitis. Normal urine may be an indication for interstitial cystitis.
3. Assess the symptoms. Interstitial cystitis may be accompanied by pelvic pain, pressure and tenderness. Women may experience pain during vaginal intercourse.
4.Perform a cystoscopy to visualize the bladder.
Use potassium chloride to diagnose interstitial cystitis. A potassium chloride solution and a water solution are placed into the bladder. If pain and urgency are felt with the potassium chloride solution, interstitial cystitis may be diagnosed. If there is no pain or urgency with either solution, interstitial cystitis is not likely.
