Men experience pelvic pain & IC too
Recently, we received an email from a man who wondered why no one talks about male pelvic pain. My experience with male patients with IC and pelvic pain has not been extensive but we have had good success with those we have seen. The national statistics show that IC gender ratio is about 8:1 regarding female to male prevalence of this disorder. However, it is likely in my opinion that it is higher in men than currently believed. The book, “Headache in the Pelvis,” was written by urologists from California. They describe how so many men are diagnosed incorrectly with “prostatitis”
who really have pelvic pain symptoms from IC.
Symptoms in men can be very similar to those in women and include urinary frequency, urgency, night-time awakening to void (nocturia), and otherwise unexplained pelvic pain including sexual pain. I have several young men who have erectile pain, ejaculatory pain, and deep myofascial pelvic floor dysfunction with “gripping” sensations throughout the deep pelvis as well. We treat them very similarly to the women. Most of them have already seen at least several urologists and family doctors and have not improved following the treatments for prostatitis or urinary tract infections as their
cultures are negative.
Medications for IC such as Elmiron, Hydroxyzine, low acid diet, Prelief, and neuropathic pain meds such as Neurontin and nortriptyline can be used very
effectively. In addition internal release and pelvic floor physical therapy can be prescribed by therapists trained specifically for these pelvic “high
tone” disorders. Men with these chronic symptoms that don’t clear with the usual approaches (just as women) need to seek out specialists that know something about all these approaches in both women and men.
Our web site was developed in large part to start raising awareness to as many people suffering from these disorders as possible. We are attempting
to educate patients so that they can find the legitimate resources that are available out there in their own communities to find the help that you so
desperately need.