BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has revealed her agonizing pain caused by a little-known uterine condition was dismissed by doctors for 32 years.
The condition, medically known as adenomyosis, sometimes leaves her screaming in pain and having no choice but to call an ambulance.
But Ms Munchetty, 48, who has suffered debilitating symptoms since she was 15, was not taken seriously during her childhood and was instead urged to ‘suck it up’, she told MPs today.
Within minutes of taking the stand to talk about her experiences with reproductive health issues, she also said that adenomyosis – a uterine condition similar to endometriosis – has made her “almost paranoid about when you take a bathroom break.”
During her period she also has little choice but to wear dark, loose clothing and must alert the BBC Breakfast crew on air if she needs a toilet break.
Ms Munchetty, 48, had suffered from debilitating symptoms since she was 15, but medics did not take her symptoms seriously when she was growing up, she told MPs today. Within minutes of taking the stand to talk today about lived experiences of reproductive health issues, she also said the condition has made her “almost paranoid about when you take a bathroom break.”
She first revealed she was suffering from the condition in May, telling her BBC Radio 5 Live show that her husband (pictured in April 2017) was forced to call an ambulance after a flare-up. ‘The pain was so terrible that I could not move, turn over, sit up. I screamed non-stop for 45 minutes. ‘And then it happened again in the middle of the night and we had to call an ambulance because I couldn’t be moved. And I just screamed,” she said
Appearing before the Women and Equality Committee as part of its investigation into women’s reproductive health, she also revealed that she eventually had to go private after failing to get the care she needed on the NHS.
It is believed that as many as one in ten women suffer from adenomyosis, but the diagnosis often remains undiagnosed for years.
In response to a question from Tory committee chairwoman Caroline Nokes about her experience with the condition, she said: I started my period at the age of 15. It would take 11 or 12 days.
‘Eight or nine of them were very tough. I threw up the first day and fainted once or twice during the cycle. I would be wrapped around a toilet.
‘I would still go to school. I went to work anyway. Every time I went to the doctor I was told it was normal.
‘I wouldn’t sleep before work because I’d set an alarm for 2am to change the towel and super heavy tampon. It made relationships difficult, I have had very understanding partners.
‘My adenomyosis wasn’t diagnosed until I was 47.’
Mrs Noakes replied: ‘So 32 years’. Mrs Munchetty replied ‘yes’.
She first revealed she was suffering from the condition in May, when she told her BBC Radio 5 Live show that her husband was forced to call an ambulance after a flare-up.
‘The pain was so terrible that I could not move, turn over, sit up.
‘I screamed non-stop for 45 minutes.
‘And then it happened again in the middle of the night and we had to call an ambulance because I couldn’t be moved. And I just screamed,” she said.
She told the committee today: ‘Last November I bled non-stop for 30 days. I had bled a total of 14 out of 15 weeks because my adenomyosis, which was undiagnosed, was flaring up.
‘I was in extreme pain to the point where an ambulance was called.
‘Most women know that you bleed heavily for the first few days, but then it decreases. But this was concerning.”
Adenomyosis is a condition in which the endometrium grows deep into the muscular wall of the uterus.
Like endometriosis, in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, it can cause serious symptoms, including extremely heavy and painful periods, bleeding, pain during and after sex or when going to the toilet.
Adenomyosis is often diagnosed in women over 40, but it also affects younger women, and is often only discovered during routine screenings, meaning many women have it without knowing it.
It is more common in women who have given birth more often, especially if they have had a caesarean section.
Possible treatment options include hormonal contraceptives, painkillers, and anti-inflammatories.
But in some cases, surgery to remove the uterus, a hysterectomy – which Munchetty says she opposes to avoid early menopause – is the only solution, although this is not suitable for younger women hoping to conceive naturally to become.
It is not known exactly why adenomyosis occurs. But the NHS notes that it is ‘likely’ that women with adenomyosis ‘have a predisposition due to their genes, immune system and hormones’
Speaking to the committee, Ms Munchetty also revealed that she never told her employer about her condition.
‘I never said anything at school. I was worried about bleeding through my uniform, it happened. “I was wearing shorts and two pairs of tights,” she said.
‘I never said anything to my employers, I was given a dose of painkillers. Sometimes still. You learn to take two paracetamol and then two neurofen. I tend to exceed what you should take.
‘If you time your painkillers, you almost become paranoid about going to the toilet.
‘I’m in the air for four hours, during regional operations – the two or three minute break – I make sure I give half an hour’s notice of when I have to go.
‘No one is allowed in that toilet, I get grumpy when someone comes in. I have to go. There is also enormous pressure on your bladder, due to a swollen uterus.’
She added: ‘You’re paranoid about bleeding into your clothes.’
The committee’s research examines the challenges women face when diagnosed and treated for gynecological and reproductive conditions.
It is expected to make recommendations to the government to help reduce disparities in diagnosis and treatment.