What is interstitial cystitis and what does it look like?
Dale Ann Dorsey: Interstitial cystitis is a chronic inflammation in the bladder lining.
Many women that have had chronic pelvic pain or have thought that they have had chronic bladder infections over the years end up having what we consider interstitial cystitis.
There’s the female bladder, and this is the cross section or the inside of the female bladder, and this is the inside of the bladder. As you can see, the lining is normally nice and smooth and with interstitial cystitis the lining gets inflamed and these little reddened areas allow the substances in the urine to cause irritation and pain.
How is interstitial cystitis treated?
While we are still doing a lot of research and learning about interstitial cystitis we have come up with some treatment options. There are medications that you can take by mouth that will help to build that lining. Also, there are solutions that can be actually put right into your bladder that help to rebuild that lining and to decrease the pain.
While we are still doing research and learning about interstitial cystitis there are some treatment options that are available. There are medications that you can take by mouth to help rebuild the lining of the bladder. There are medications to help decrease irritation. There are also solutions that your healthcare provider can put directly into your bladder.