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Chronic stress may contribute to the pain and urinary symptoms experienced by people with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) by triggering changes in the bladder and nervous system, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

IC/BPS, a chronic condition affecting millions, causes pain, pressure or discomfort in the bladder and pelvic area, often accompanied by an urgent or frequent need to urinate.

While stress and anxiety have been linked to urinary symptoms, whether stress affects the bladder itself was previously unclear. "Our study shows that stress can cause direct changes to the bladder that contribute to discomfort," said the study's senior author, Dr. Larissa Rodriguez, chair of the Department of Urology and the James J. Colt Professor of Urology at Weill Cornell and urologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

"We also found that exercise may modulate those changes and could be a nonsurgical, nonpharmacologic way of treating some stress-linked urinary tract conditions."

The new study, published Sept. 23 in Scientific Reports, found that chronic stress disrupted the bladder's natural defenses against harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. These reactive molecules are naturally produced as cells use oxygen to generate energy but can cause damage when they build up faster than the body can remove them.

"Most striking, our study found that voluntary exercise significantly reduced stress-mediated bladder pain and urinary frequency while strengthening bladder tissue," said first author Shaista Chaudhary, a senior research associate in urology.

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