Interstitial Cystitis

There aren’t any specific tests to diagnose interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. However, a healthcare provider will order tests to rule out other infections or conditions. These tests may include:

• Medical history. A healthcare provider may ask you to record your symptoms in a journal or diary. They may also ask you to record what you drink, how much you drink and how much you pee.
• Urinalysis (urine test). You’ll provide a pee sample, and a healthcare provider will examine it under a microscope to look for blood in your pee (hematuria) and signs of an infection, such as organisms, germs, pus or white blood cells. A provider will prescribe antibiotics to treat an infection. A provider may diagnose IC/BPS if your pee is sterile after treatment, but you still have symptoms.
• Biopsy. A provider will sedate you (put you under) with anesthesia. They’ll then use a thin needle to take a tissue sample of your bladder wall and urethra to rule out other conditions, including bladder cancer.
• Cystoscopy. A provider will examine the inside of your urethra and bladder with a thin, lighted tube with an eyepiece on one end (cystoscope) to help rule out bladder cancer. The provider will gently insert it into your urethra and pass it up to your bladder. You won’t be under anesthesia during a cystoscopy. But if the provider orders a bladder biopsy along with a cystoscopy, you may need anesthesia.
• Cystoscopy under anesthesia with hydrodistension. A provider may perform cystoscopy with bladder hydrodistension. They’ll perform a cystoscopy and stretch (distend) your bladder as big as possible (to maximum capacity) by filling it with water. This procedure can reveal ulcers or cracks in your bladder. It’s a painful procedure, so it requires anesthesia. But many people have temporary relief of their IC/BPS symptoms after.