If tests for IC are negative, check out pelvic organ prolapse

Hi members of the Intersticial Cystitis community!

I'm connecting to you from the Urogynecology Community; this is one of the new communities on Medhelp. There are a couple of symptoms that overlap between pelvic organ prolapse and intersticial cystitis; I felt I should post some thoughts so if any women come into the this forum who think they have IC and then find out after tests that they don’t, this is an additional path to dig into. Pelvic organ prolapse is an extremely common female health issue that most women aren't aware of until after they are diagnosed with it. The symptoms that are the same between POP and IC are back pain, pelvic pressure and urgent need to urinate. Of course this does not mean that all women with these problems have POP, but since our areas overlap I think our communities will complement each other well.

There are several symptoms in the female pelvic region that float between many health issues. The most common symptoms of POP are:

Pressure in the vagina or rectum or both
Rectal pain
Urinary incontinence
Urine retention (you have to pee, it just won't come out)
Feels like your insides are falling out (you can see a bulge of tissue at end of vagina if you look with mirror)
Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
Back pain
Heaviness in pelvic region
Constipation
Fecal incontinence
Tampons "push out"
Painful intercourse
Lack of sensation during sex.

As women come into the Urogynecology forum with what seem to be IC concerns, I'll recommend that they check out this community for support and guidance as well as help them dissect whether or not there are POP concerns. I am happy to be a member of the IC community.

Sher