Bladder conditions we
keep missing in women
Seven overlapping conditions that are routinely misdiagnosed, undertreated, or dismissed in women's healthcare — where IC/BPS alone affects women 5–10 times more often than men. Each falls within one or more categories of the MISSED diagnostic framework.
Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS)
The primary chronic bladder condition in women, characterized by bladder pain, urgency, and frequency without identifiable infection or other obvious pathology.
Read clinical overview→I — InterstitialBladder Pain Syndrome
A broader diagnostic category, seen mostly in women, encompassing chronic bladder pain with associated urinary symptoms, where IC/BPS criteria may not yet be fully met.
Read clinical overview→M — Microbiome / Mast CellMast Cell Cystitis
Bladder inflammation in women driven by elevated mast cell density in the detrusor, causing histamine-mediated urgency, burning, and frequency.
Read clinical overview→M — Missed / StructuralRadiation Cystitis
Late-onset bladder damage in women following pelvic radiotherapy for cervical, endometrial, or rectal cancers, causing chronic inflammation and bleeding.
Read clinical overview→M — MissedHemorrhagic Cystitis
Bladder bleeding in women arising from radiation, chemotherapy, or immune triggers, causing significant morbidity and often misdiagnosed as recurrent UTI.
Read clinical overview→D — Dysbiosis / StructuralNeurogenic Bladder
Bladder dysfunction in women from neurological causes where altered innervation leads to storage and voiding dysfunction, often masking co-existing urothelial conditions.
Read clinical overview→M — Missed / Early StageBladder Sensitivity Syndrome
Early-stage bladder hypersensitivity in women before formal IC/BPS diagnosis — the greatest prevention opportunity.
Read clinical overview→Treatment begins with the right diagnosis for women
Many of these conditions respond to GAG layer restoration therapy. Explore the treatment pathway and the role of Elmiron® in managing IC/BPS in women.