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Can progesterone help with bladder issues?

Hi all, I would love some thoughts on my situation as I am clueless as to what is going on with me! My symptoms started about a year ago, 4 ish weeks after I had a pregnancy terminated at 7 weeks pregnant. It was a medical termination which unfortunately didn't work (was still showing pregnant 11 weeks after!). Long story short I had the tissue removed via a hysteroscopy but the weeing symptoms have never gone away. Prior to the termination I had never so much as had a UTI my whole life (am 40). Just never had bladder issues before.

My symptoms are frequency (every 45 mins or so) and urgency (feels like I am busting each time I go). No pain (thankfully). I have had pelvic scans, all the OAB meds, physiotherapy, oestrogen cream/going back on the pill, various courses of short and long term low dose antibiotics, a cystoscopy (which showed a completely healthy bladder which could be filled to 800ml!), a course of cystistat and now am on iAuril instillations. Nothing has worked. Also tried homeopathy, acupuncture etc.

Due to how the symptoms started (abnormally thick womb lining due to pregnancy tissue for so long and abnormally high hormones), I am convinced there is a hormonal link. Also my symptoms seem to improve ever so slightly mid cycle, perhaps when I am ovulating? Would this mean progesterone cream could help my symptoms? From mid cycle the symptoms worsen again. I also have bad anxiety, irritability and many other symptoms which Could show I am low in progesterone. The doc did prescribe me estrofen cream for my bladder problems but it didn't do anything.

I can hold it for up to 3 hours, just very uncomfortable and when I do go every time I only ever seem to wee about 100ml! Even when the instillation is put in (50ml) my bladder feels immediately full.

With no pain, a normal looking bladder, instillations targeting the bladder wall not doing anything leads me to think perhaps I don't have IC at all and its something affecting my bladder rather than my bladder itself. Am booked in for another cystoscopy on the 3rd Nov with distension. No idea what that will do.

Comments for Can progesterone help with bladder issues?

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Oct 30, 2015
 Can progesterone help with bladder issues?
by: Wray

Hi there UTI's (urinary tract infections) are generally considered distinct from IC (interstitial cystitis or bladder infections). Suggesting bacteria, viruses or fungi are responsible for the UTI, whereas the aetiology of IC is unknown. As the bladder is connected to the urethra, I find it difficult to conceive of two separate problems. Antibiotics are given for UTI's, often unsuccessfully, or repeatedly in the belief it's killing the pathogen. In 1911 Bernard Shaw wrote "… the characteristic microbe of a disease might be a symptom instead of a cause." I tend to believe this. Pathogens are opportunists, if a cell or tissue is damaged they will take advantage of this fact. More and more studies are finding that inflammation is behind our diseases and disorders. Inflammation results from a disturbance in the immune system, often due to a lack of antioxidants. Which is usually a result of the pollution, processed food and drink, stress and of course drugs to which we are now subject. Inflammation seems to fit the bill for both UTI's and IC, but as the urethra is more easily accessible to bacteria etc, it doesn't surprise me they are found there. Several studies have found IC is due to inflammation, and a subsequent damage to the lining. Why not the UTI's too? D-mannose is sometimes effective. It's believed that the bacteria, if present, will adhere to the D-mannose and be excreted. A more likely explanation is the lining of the urinary tract, including the bladder, has become damaged by inflammation. The lining is a thin layer of glycoproteins, these are a combination of a sugar molecule and a protein. The D-mannose can be used for glycoprotein biosynthesis, see here. This would strengthen the lining preventing possible attack from bacteria or inflammation. The amino acid arginine can help too, see here. Mast cells are implicated, see here. Progesterone inhibits mast cell secretions, see here. Excess oestrogen and a lack of progesterone appear to be a reasonable cause, see here and here. Oestrogen is an excitatory, inflammatory hormone, it's involvement is hardly surprising. Particularly when looking at the statistics, far more women get UTI's and IC than men. Interestingly oestradiol increases mast cell histamine secretion, which is initiated by substance P. This is a pro-inflammatory, nociceptive neuropeptide. Even more interesting, progesterone and it's metabolites are suppressed by substance P, see here, unless sufficient is used, see here and here. Take care Wray

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