Millions of Americans—most of them women—suffer from a bladder
condition known as interstitial cystitis. According to a new
study of this disorder, fewer than 10% of women with symptoms of
interstitial cystitis are actually diagnosed with the disorder,
even though it severely affects their lives. Without a proper
diagnosis, women with interstitial cystitis are missing out on
treatments that might bring them some relief. As I describe in
an article in the August 2011 issue of the Harvard Women’s
Health Watch, interstitial cystitis is a chronic bladder
condition that causes recurring bouts of pain and pressure in
the bladder and pelvic area. Individuals with the condition
usually have an urgent and frequent need to urinate—sometimes as
often as 60 times a day. The pain and discomfort can be so
excruciating that only about half of people with interstitial
cystitis work full-time. Researchers with the federally funded
RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology (RICE) study surveyed
nearly 150,000 households in the U