Estrogen and bladder disorder

An inflammatory disorder of the bladder that affects 750,000 Americans, 90 percent of whom are women, has baffled doctors for years. New findings from veterinary surgeon Dale Bjorling suggest that estrogen could be a key factor.

The disorder, called interstitial cystitis, causes pain and frequent urination but shows no actual signs of infection. The cause has remained unknown, and no single treatment is consistently effective.

Bjorling, also an affiliate of the UW Center for Women’s Health and the UW Hospital’s Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery, has studied bladder pain for several years. He notes that in any system there are accelerators and brakes for various processes, including the sensation of pain. In a healthy system, he explains, there is a balance between the start and stop signals.

As reported in a recent issue of the journal Neuroscience, Bjorling’s research leads him to suspect that estrogen may be affecting the balance of start and stop signals, and he is trying to determine whether the hormone augments the “go” signals or inhibits the “stop” signals.