Interstitial cystitis (IC), or Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS) is a debilitating condition of the bladder that is estimated to affect 3-8 million women in the United States. The pathophysiology of the disease is poorly understood, and thus treatment modalities and treatment efficacy vary widely. Lately, much attention has shifted toward investigating how the bladder 'environment' differs amongst women with IC compared to those who do not suffer from IC.~Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a complementary alternative medicine (CAM)-based therapy, is a standardized program including components of meditation and yoga. Recent studies show that MBSR improves symptoms in the IC patient population.~The purpose of this study is to compare measurable differences in the urinary microbiome among women with IC before and after MBSR treatment.
This is a prospective cohort study to investigate differences in the bladder environment (i.e. urinary microbiome) amongst women with interstitial cystitis (IC) before and after undergoing mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) treatment, including yoga and meditation practices.