How is Interstitial Cystitis (IC) Diagnosed?

The road to getting an interstitial cystitis diagnosis

Interstitial Cystitis (IC), or Painful Bladder Syndrome, can be difficult to diagnose, and it can go a long time undiagnosed. For many, it feels like a bladder infection that won't go away. It might even start out as an infection, which is what I believe caused my IC. 

How do you get an interstitial cystitis diagnosis? 

The key to diagnosing this painful condition is ruling out all other problems, such as bladder infections, stones, and cancer. 

1. Urine culture

When the urine test at the clinic comes back negative for a bladder infection, your doctor might perform a pelvic exam or send your urine in to be cultured. A culture can determine whether there are bacteria in your urine, and what type. If that also comes back clear, you will need to go through further examination and testing to determine whether you have interstitial cystitis or another problem. 

2. Ultrasound

The next step in diagnosing IC might be to get a pelvic ultrasound to make sure all your organs in this area look normal. For this, you will need to make sure your bladder is full, which can be uncomfortable. If you have given birth, for example, something might have gotten kinked, damaged, or moved out of place. 

3. Cystoscopy

A cystoscopy involves inserting a tiny scope into the bladder to look for abnormalities, such as cysts. People with interstitial cystitis might have tiny cysts inside the bladder, which can cause the pain you are feeling. This is a very uncomfortable procedure, but it can take as little time as five minutes. 

4. Intravenous pyelogram

Your urologist might also want to check your kidneys to make sure they are not causing your urinary problems. During an intravenous pyelogram, a contrast solution will be injected into your veins. This will make it easier to see your kidneys on an x-ray.

5. Potassium sensitivity test

I never had a potassium sensitivity test to determine an interstitial cystitis diagnosis, but I have learned that it involves running water and potassium (separately) into the bladder and testing for sensitivity to the potassium. A normal bladder has a healthy lining that protects against irritation, but this lining in an IC bladder might be too damaged to do so. 

These are a few tests that you might experience as your doctor tries to rule out all other possibilities and give you a painful bladder syndrome, or interstitial cystitis, diagnosis.  

**Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be used in place of professional medical advice. If you have any symptoms of IC, please consult with your doctor. 

References:

Diagnosing and Treating Interstitial Cystitis, Harvard Medical School  

Note: This article was previously published at Yahoo! Voices and the rights reverted back to the author when the site closed.