Long-term or frequent pelvic pain, alongside problems peeing, may signal the condition interstitial cystitis.
A “poorly understood bladder condition”, it mostly affects middle-aged women.
Unlike regular cystitis, there’s no obvious infection and antibiotics do not help.
Interstitial cystitis can lead to intense pelvic pain, felt below the belly button, sudden strong urges to see, needing to urinate more often, and waking up several times during the night to go to the toilet.
