07/09/2022
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September is IC Awareness Month. It brings focus and attention to a painful bladder condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC).
The new AUA guidelines state that IC/BPS is a pelvic pain syndrome and not a bladder disease. The AUA has abandoned the six-step treatment protocol in favor of a more responsive system.
Jill Osborne, Founder of IC Network shared an insightful YouTube video highlighting the key points from the update - shared below.
The IC Network is a health education company specializing in pelvic pain that also facilitates the largest IC support group in the world.
The new guidelines help to end the common misdiagnosis, underdiagnosis, mistreatment, and undertreatment, especially the undertreatment of pain and provide a best practice approach and encourage consistency in IC/BPS patient care.
The guidelines represent eight additional years of research and clinical experience.
There are three distinct Patient Groups - Bladder Centric, Pelvic Floor Driven and Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions.
Over 80% of women with IC have symptoms due to a combination of central sensitization and pelvic floor tension.
IC/BPS should be suspected in patients with pain as their bladder fills or sensitivity to certain foods.
Physical testing are recommended to exclude other disorders such as UTI, masses, hernia and pelvic floor tension, etc.
No single treatment works for the majority of patients. If a patient is not responding to bladder treatments the diagnosis should be reconsidered.
Pain Care should be an integral part of patient care and pain levels should be assessed at every appointment. Pain care alone is not a sufficient treatment for IC/BPS.
PelvicSense helps women learn to skills to reduce underlying pelvic floor muscle tension and lower central sensitization.
Empower yourself – discuss the guidelines with your doctor to get the best possible treatment and start PelvicSense to enhance your healing.
PelvicSense offers sufferers of IC/BPS a powerful resource for reducing and in some cases, eradicating pelvic pain and discomfort.