I'm at the end of my second course of antibiotics for what I thought was my annual UTI... However, first urine culture came back negative for bacteria, although it did contain blood. Second culture, also negative.

In two days I go back to the doc, who says I should get an ultrasound if the second course of antibiotics doesn't take care of it. (I'm also going to ask for STD tests (though this didn't occur to me until I started researching--I've had the same sexual partner for the past six years, and he's the ONLY sexual partner I've ever had--needless to say, someone's going to be in deep **** if I have chlamydia)).

My question is, barring STDs, deformation of my urinary tract, and bladder cancer, is this interstitial cystitis? One minute you think you have a regular UTI... then oh, by the way, your bladder might be irritated for the rest of your life!

I read that some doctors aren't even very familiar with this condition, so I thought I'd ask you nice ladies.

P.S. I also have a Bartholin's cyst, about 4cm, that my gyno says is not ready to lance because it's not infected. Could this be related? Or does God just really, really hate my vagina?