BLADDER ISSUES
Updated: Oct 30
There are many bladder issues with these diseases, and the causes vary. I gathered what my trusted sources say about why the bladder gets involved, so you can understand what may be going on and talk with your doctor about it. We hope the information below helps.
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COMMON BLADDER SYMPTOMS
Some people have only a few of these, and others have almost all of them:
- Urgency, often worse at night
- Going often, day and night
- Bladder pain, especially when the bladder is full
- Trouble starting the stream or emptying the bladder
- Leaking (incontinence)
- Pain in the pelvis, the area between the legs, the urethra, the vulva or vagina (women), the testicles (men), the low back or the legs
- Painful sex
- Bladder pain that gets worse with certain foods or drinks
WHAT ILADS AND ILADEF SAY
- ILADS and ILADEF don't have guidance on IC or bladder symptoms yet.
- ILADEF (2024) does note that Mycoplasma can infect the urinary and genital tract, and that it can linger even after antibiotics. Its later complications can include kidney inflammation (nephritis).
HOW LYME CAN AFFECT THE BLADDER
- Global Lyme Alliance (2024) explains that Lyme bacteria and co-infections may tuck away in the bladder and add to IC-like symptoms, and that IC may sometimes trace back to a missed Lyme infection.
- A 2025 Johns Hopkins study found people with lasting Lyme symptoms reported urinary symptoms at a similar level to people with POTS. Autonomic (automatic nervous system) symptoms were common.
- Dr. Daniel Cameron sees gut problems or POTS in many of the Lyme patients he treats for bladder trouble, and he thinks the autonomic nervous system may tie them together (Global Lyme Alliance, 2024).
- The more Lyme patients Dr. Bill Rawls talks with, the more he meets people with bladder pain and IC-type symptoms. That includes men who have chronic prostatitis along with bladder symptoms (prostatitis can feel a lot like IC).
CO-INFECTIONS AND THE BLADDER
- Bartonella: Dr. Wayne Anderson, ND, links Bartonella to bladder irritation, frequent urination, IC and other ongoing inflammation of the urinary tract.
- Babesia: Dr. Anderson lists bladder trouble among Babesia symptoms: a hard time starting the stream, or times of leaking.
- Mycoplasma: Dr. Anderson says Mycoplasma is a more common cause of IC than Bartonella. Dr. Rawls also suspects Mycoplasma and a close relative, Ureaplasma, are often behind bladder discomfort. Because these bacteria also turn up in people without symptoms, he sees immune health as what makes the difference.
- Mold: Dr. Anderson says that any time a mucous membrane is inflamed, including the bladder lining, mold is worth looking into.
MAST CELLS AND THE BLADDER
- Mast cell activation is one of the leading ideas about what drives IC, along with damage to the bladder lining, nerve inflammation, infections and an over-sensitive nervous system (2025 and 2026 reviews).
- Dr. Leonard Weinstock and Dr. Lawrence Afrin (2025) write that MCAS may be behind some chronic pelvic pain conditions, including IC.
- A 2024 Duke study helps explain why bladder pain and frequency can continue after a UTI is cleared. In people with repeat UTIs, the bladder showed more pain-nerve activity. In mice, growth signals from immune cells, including mast cells, made new pain nerves grow, and blocking mast cell chemicals eased pain and frequency.
THE GUT AND THE BLADDER
- IC and IBS often show up together.
- Dr. Leonard Weinstock found 81% of IC patients with gut symptoms had a breath test pointing to SIBO (2008, older source, still worth reading).
WHAT IC IS
- IC (interstitial cystitis), also called bladder pain syndrome, is long-term bladder pain, pressure or discomfort with urgency and frequency, when no other cause is found (2026 review).
- The American Urological Association (2022) says it's diagnosed mainly from symptoms, a physical exam and urine tests, after other causes are ruled out. A scope of the bladder (cystoscopy) is used when the diagnosis is unclear or Hunner lesions are suspected.
- Many people with IC notice certain foods or drinks make symptoms worse, but triggers are different for everyone (Interstitial Cystitis Association, 2026).
WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR
- If you can't empty your bladder. Doctors say trouble passing urine in an otherwise healthy person needs to be checked, and Lyme affecting the nervous system is one rare cause (2023 report).
- If you see blood in your urine (American Urological Association, 2022).
- If symptoms feel like a new UTI. A urine test can rule out a regular bladder infection.
MY EXPERIENCE
I always felt like I had a UTI that wouldn't go away. The foods I ate had a big impact on my symptoms.
RELATED POSTS
BARTONELLA MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS
MYCOPLASMA EDUCATION
MAST CELL / MCAS EDUCATION
SOURCES
ILADEF, "Tick-Borne Diseases Other Than Lyme" (2024)
Global Lyme Alliance, "Lyme Disease and Bladder Health" (2024)
LymeDisease.org, Dr. Wayne Anderson on six Lyme-related infections (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Adler and others, Johns Hopkins, autonomic symptoms after Lyme (2025)
Weinstock, Afrin and others, MCAS study (2025)
Hayes and others, Duke, mast cells and repeat UTIs (2024)
Jhang and others, IC review (2025)
Priporeanu and others, IC review (2026)
Weinstock and others, SIBO in IC (2008, older source, still worth reading)
Interstitial Cystitis Association, "What to Eat with IC/BPS" (2026)
Iversen and others, Lyme and urinary retention (2023)
American Urological Association, IC/Bladder Pain Syndrome guideline (2022)
Dr. Bill Rawls, "The Link Between Interstitial Cystitis and Lyme Disease" (2022)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
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