Symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary from patient to patient - they can be mild or severe, coming and going from day to day or week to week, or remain severe throughout the day and night. The most common symptoms of interstitial cystitis are:
Urinary frequency
Most patients report an increase in the need to urinate, both day and night (up to 60 times a day in severe cases). Nocturia (urinating more than twice during the night) is also a common symptom of interstitial cystitis. Most sufferers of interstitial cystitis report a decrease in pain following each trip to the bathroom. In mild cases of interstitial cystitis, urinary frequency is sometimes the only symptom experienced.
Urinary urgency
Many interstitial cystitis sufferers report having to urinate immediately and often - a sensation that can be accompanied by pain, pressure or muscle spasms. Up to 30 percent of interstitial cystitis sufferers experience involuntary loss of urine (urinary leakage).
Pain
Interstitial cystitis can be severely painful and debilitating, causing acute pain (sudden beginning, lasting for a short period of time) as well as acute pain (recurs frequently, lasting a longer time). Symptoms of interstitial cystitis include dysuria (pain during urination), urethral pain, pelvic-floor pain associated with the bladder filling or emptying, pain during intercourse, and worsening pain and symptoms in the days before the onset of menses.