Interstitial cystitis is a chronic painful inflammatory bladder condition, more frequently seen in women, that results in pelvic pain, urinary frequency and urgency. A similar condition in men is called prostatitis. We are funded as part of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Multidisciplinary Approach to Pelvic Pain (MAPP) network to study the role of inflammation and dysregulation of the stress response systems (such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) in this condition.