EP.317/ Pycnogenol for interstitial cystitis and utis with endo
Recently I’ve talked a lot about the gut microbiome and endo, but today, I want to do a very short episode on the bladder microbiome, but specifically, a supplement or plant extract that could help us.
For those of you who deal with bladder pain or recurrent UTIs, I’m hoping this episode is helpful.
Interstitial cystitis has been dubbed as the ‘evil twin’ of endometriosis by researchers, and is characterised by bladder pain, increased frequency, pressure, and trouble emptying the bladder to name a few of the key symptoms.
Interstitial cystitis doesn’t have just one cause; often there are multiple layers ranging from pelvic floor dysfunction, histamine issues, nerve hypersensitivity, chronic embedded UTIs, inflammation and more.
In the show notes, I’ve linked to three episodes that explore the causes of interstitial cystitis in people with endo, and some management options.
However, there are experts who believe that at the core of interstitial cystitis is hidden, chronic UTIs, that are buried in the bladder wall, hiding in biofilms (which are like protective coatings) that can therefore evade detection and treatment. Interestingly, with my IC clients, I actually use the most advanced bladder microbiome test available (I’ve linked to it in the show notes if you want to have a look, I believe you’ll need a practitioner to order it though) alongside an anti-biofilm prior to the test, and every client has shown pathogenic bacteria, and often low levels of healthy bacteria (which also aligns with the research we have on endo and the bladder microbiome).
So today I want to highlight one of my absolute favourite plant extracts, and that’s pycnogenol.
Pycnogenol is French Maritime Pine Bark extract and it can be taken in supplement form. I had been taking this daily for a few months for endometriosis and POTS management. After a few months, I noticed that my bladder pain was better than it had ever been. I was taking aloe vera too, which is one of my favourite supplements for IC, but I noticed that when I ran out of pycnogenol, I had a slow increase in symptoms recurring. Now aloe vera rebuilds the bladder lining, but it doesn’t treat infections, and if you’ve heard my conversation with Semaine about their bladder supplement, I find it most helpful to combine aloe vera with an infection treating supplement to repair the bladder but also to treat it. So I had a little look into whether pycnogenol could have been treating any embedded UTIs I have (which I have tested positive for previously).
Lo and behold, recent research has indicated that it may be a promising treatment for people with interstitial cystitis and chronic UTIs.
A pilot study (meaning small scale, preliminary study) compared the effects of pycnogenol and cranberry on IC and recurrent UTIs. They recruited 64 participants and split them into three groups; a control group (meaning they either received a placebo or no treatment at all), a group treated with cranberry and a group treated with 150mg of pycnogenol per day, for 60 days.
At the end of the 60 days, the results were pretty incredible.
The pycnogenol group had more participants who were infection free by the end of the trial than either of the other groups. In fact, 100% of participants in the pycnogenol group were infection free, whereas 35% of the cranberry treated participants were infection free, and 36% were infection free in the control group.
More pycnogenol patients were symptom free after two months of treatment in comparison to the cranberry group and control group, with 91% being symptom free in the pycnogenol group, 80% in the cranberry group and 82% in the control group.
UTI/IC episodes reduced in all three groups, but this was most significant in the pycnogenol group. The pycnogenol group had a 62% reduction in IC flares or UTI recurrences, whereas the cranberry group had a 45% reduction and the control group had a 29% reduction.
What’s more is that the patients in the pycnogenol group had lower levels of oxidative stress than either of the other groups, and oxidative stress is a process which causes tissue damage and inflammation, and is involved in the development of endo. However, from a bladder perspective, as we discussed at the start of this episode, inflammation is a contributing factor to interstitial cystitis, so lowering levels could of course help with the condition.
Now, as this was just a pilot study, more research is warranted and there were limitations to this study too, for example, it wasn’t blinded, so the participants knew what they were taking and their results may have been impacted by the placebo affect. However, as I alluded to earlier, pycnogenol is actually really helpful for our demographic, and has been shown to reduce endo symptoms, period pain, may improve pots symptoms, treat histamine symptoms and more. It’s also well tolerated and safe to use, so it if you have IC or recurrent UTIs, as well as endo, this could be a worthwhile try! Now remember, please consult your health practitioner when starting any new supplements.
In the show notes, I’ve linked to my episode on endo supplements so you can learn more about pycnogenol there, however, maybe I’ll do a spotlight episode on these other benefits in the future, but today, I just really wanted to highlight these promising finding for IC and UTIs, because I know personally, how much these can affect our lives.
For those of you who are curious about trying it, I’ll put a few brands in the show notes. These aren’t affiliated (kind of wish they were though) but they’re brands I personally use with clients.
Show notes
I am now taking applications for my final one to one coaching cohort of 2024
Apply here: https://www.theendobellycoach.com/coaching
IC endo research and podcasts
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3043443/
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-ic-sibo
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/chronic-uni-treatment-semaine
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/root-causes-of-bladder-pain-with-endometriosis
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/nutrition-bladder-pain-brianne-thornton
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/diet-and-natural-treatment-options-for-interstitial-cystitis-and-bladder-pain
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/how-your-nervous-system-affects-interstitial-cystitis-and-endo-pain
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/equal-treatment-for-black-endometriosis-patients-and-plevic-floor-physiotherapy
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/supplements-for-interstitial-cystitis
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/new-ic-subtypes
IC, biofilms, chronic UTIs, microbiome alterations
https://liveutifree.com/interstitial-cystitis-treatment/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9865985/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9962481/
Bladder test
https://regeneruslabs.com/products/microgendx-mens-uti
Aloe vera
https://www.pelvicsanity.com/2017/06/01/the-best-supplements-for-interstitial-cystitis
Pycnogenol research
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8249140/#tab2
https://www.pycnogenol.com/applications/menstrual-discomfort
https://www.pycnogenol.com/applications/respiratory-health
https://www.pycnogenol.com/applications/circulatory-heart
https://www.pycnogenol.com/applications/venous-disorders
Brands
https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01637/pycnogenol
https://www.nowfoods.com/products/supplements/pycnogenol-100-mg-veg-capsules https://pure-encapsulations-pro.co.uk/product/pycnogenol-100-mg/
Free resources:
This podcast!
Email me: hello@theendobellycoach.com
Ways to work with me:
This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook
Masterclasses in endo nutrition, surgery prep and recovery and pain relief
Live and Thrive with Endo: The Foundations DIY course
One to one coaching info and application
This episode is sponsored by BeYou Cramp Relief Patches. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk/pages/how-it-works
Produced by Chris Robson