Joint Terminology Report: Terminology Standardization for Female Bladder Pain Syndrome

Female bladder pain syndrome (FBPS), previously known as interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, is a life-altering and morbid condition that occurs primarily in female patients and can be variable in presentation. Given the absence of pathognomonic symptoms and sensitive diagnostic tests, significant symptomatic overlap with numerous other pelvic conditions (such as pelvic floor tension myalgia or endometriosis) occurring in women makes diagnosis of FBPS challenging. The frequent co-occurrence of FBPS with other pain conditions and functional somatic syndromes further complicates diagnosis and management. The challenges have limited the progress made in understanding the pathophysiology of the condition and improving approaches to treatment and prevention. Improvement in standardization of the terminology used to describe this unique condition is needed to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and the clinical care for affected patients. Given the variability in presentation and the differing definitions for the condition world-wide, the American Urogynecologic Society and the International Urogynecologic Association convened a joint writing group to standardize terminology around common signs and symptoms of the condition and to clarify the diagnosis as it pertains to female patients with the condition. After careful consideration of a broad range of available data and clinical experiences, consensus opinion recommended adopting the term “FBPS” instead of the misleading “interstitial cystitis” to describe a chronic, intermittent condition of at least 3 months’ duration affecting women involving symptoms of pain or discomfort localized to the bladder, often with bladder filling, which are not attributed to other pathology. This term will allow clinicians, researchers, and learners alike to standardize their understanding of FBPS. Similar content being viewed by others

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The International Urogynecological Association and the American Urogynecologic Society would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Sarah Collins for spearheading a thorough review of this document. The joint societies would also like to thank and acknowledge the substantial contributions made by Dr. A. Lenore Ackerman and Dr. Lauren de Winter in reviewing and extensively revising this document. The following writing group members are being recognized for their contributions to this article: Writing Group Chair: Vik Khullar. IUGA Writing Group Members: Vik Khullar, BSc, MBBS, MD, Imperial College, London, UK; Amita Jain, MS (Obs-Gyn), Medanta – The Medicity, Gurugram, India; Andreas Chrysostomou, MD, PhD, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Genevieve Nadeau, MD, MSc, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada; Mauro Cervigni, MD, Catholic University, Rome, Italy; AUGS Writing Group Members: Radhika Patnam, MD, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Rhonda K. Kotarinos, DPT, MS, Kotarinos Physical Therapy Limited, Vernon Hills, IL, USA; A. Lenore Ackerman, MD, PhD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Doreen E. Chung, MD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; K. Lauren de Winter, MD, Praxis Urogynecology, Long Beach, CA, USA; Sarah Collins, MD, Chair, Terminology and Standardization Committee, IUGA, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Author information Authors and Affiliations Consortia Ethics declarations Conflict of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Additional information Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Individual writing group members are noted in the Acknowledgements section. This report is being published concurrently in International Urogynecology Journal and in Urogynecology. The report is identical except for minor stylistic and spelling differences in keeping with each journal’s style. Citations from any of the two journals can be used when citing this article. Correspondence: Vik Khullar, Imperial College, London, UK. E-mail: [email protected] Rights and permissions Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. About this article Cite this article Developed by the Joint Writing Group of the International Urogynecological Association and the American Urogynecologic Society. Joint Terminology Report: Terminology Standardization for Female Bladder Pain Syndrome. Int Urogynecol J 36, 265–277 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-024-05923-z Accepted: Published: Version of record: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-024-05923-z