As the founder of the very first website built on IC, as well as the very first forum (the ICN Support Forum), I have strong thoughts on the state of IC support online today. In the earliest days, we viewed the internet as a marvelous way of bringing the world's best resources directly into the [...]
Interstitial cystitis / bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is one of the more confusing diagnoses in urology — not because doctors don't understand pain, but because "IC" isn't really one disease. It's an umbrella term for a set of symptoms (pelvic pain, urgency, frequency) that can arise from several different underlying mechanisms: bladder-wall abnormalities like [...]
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - September 1, 2026. Patient advocates are calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to formally reevaluate Elmiron® (pentosan polysulfate sodium, or PPS), or at minimum adopt stronger prescribing and monitoring requirements, citing a growing body of research linking long-term use of the drug to serious retinal and bowel complications. According [...]
A particular kind of quiet can settle in on the drive home from a urology appointment. You went in with a list. You came out with a photocopied diet sheet, a suggestion to try to keep your stress down and a follow-up in six months. Somewhere in there, someone used the phrase "you'll want [...]
Summer is winding down. The days are getting a little shorter, vacations are coming to an end, and before we know it, we'll be trading swimsuits and sandals for sweaters and boots. But before summer disappears completely, your bladder has a few things it wants you to know. Some of the habits, foods, drinks [...]
We are delighted to announce that the Spring 2026 IC Optimist is now available for our members and for purchase. This is the flagship publication of the ICN, where we share the latest research, feature stories, guest interviews, self-help tips and more. In this issue: Editorial It's hard to imagine someone leaving the USA [...]
When a patient experiences bladder symptoms, most assume that they have a urinary tract infection. Many, however, are stunned to learn that urine testing has found no infection. So what else can trigger these urinary symptoms? The bladder, like any other part of the body, can be injured, usually the result of chemical exposure. [...]
America spends more on health care than any other nation on Earth. It boasts world-renowned hospitals, cutting-edge technology, and some of the finest specialists in the world. Yet for many people living with IC/BPS, those impressive credentials mean very little if they cannot find what they need most: a physician who listens, follows current [...]
If you've lived with IC/BPS for any amount of time, you probably know this scene. It's a cookout. The cooler is packed — lemonade, sweet tea, ice-cold sodas, somebody's spiked seltzer. Everyone has something cold sweating in their hand, and you're standing there with… water. Again. Or you walk into a coffee shop in [...]
If you're a man living with bladder pain, urgency or that deep pelvic pressure that never quite lets go, there's a good chance you've been told it's your prostate. Maybe more than once. You may have taken rounds of antibiotics that didn't help, been handed a prostatitis diagnosis that never quite fit or been [...]
