BBC newsreader Naga Munchetty has spoken out about a painful womb condition she has been diagnosed with.
The 48-year-old revealed she is suffering from adenomyosis last year, but went into further details about the 'terrible' pain that comes along with it and having to call an ambulance over the weekend on her BBC 5 Live show.
She recalled the experience, saying: "On Saturday night I came home from the theatre and my adenomyosis flared up. I was in so much pain I could barely walk from the car to my front door. It was only with my husband's help that I made it upstairs.
"The pain was so terrible I couldn’t move, turn over, sit up. I screamed non-stop for 45 minutes. I finally got to sleep and in the middle of the night the pain returned and it was worse. My husband called an ambulance."
Here is everything you need to know about the painful condition, as reported by Wales Online.
What is adenomyosis?
Adenomyosis is a condition that causes the lining of the womb to bury into the muscular wall of the womb, the NHS says.
The causes of the condition are unknown, but sufferers usually have a predisposition because of their hormones, genes or immune system.
You can't catch adenomyosis and it's not cancerous or an infection either.
The condition affects as many as one in ten women of reproductive age. It is more common in women aged 40-50 years and who have had children, the NHS writes.
Symptoms
According to the NHS, common symptoms associated with the conditions are:
- heavy periods that last for a long time
- severe period pain
- a feeling of pressure in your tummy
- bloating
Naga says she was diagnosed after years of pain, saying: "After decades of painful, heavy periods, periods that made me pass out, sweat, cry, moan, groan, curl up in a tight ball, having to sleep on a towel."
The presenter said she was never offered a scan or ultrasound until she bled for 30 days straight a few months ago and had a scan, which revealed adenomyosis.
Treatment
There are numerous treatments available to sufferers of adenomyosis, these are:
- anti-inflammatory medication to help relieve mild pain
- treatment during your period to help reduce the amount of menstrual blood loss
- hormone therapy such as the contraceptive pill, to help control heavy or painful periods
- a hysterectomy (removal of the womb) - this would only be considered in extreme cases, where other treatments do not work and if you do not wish to become pregnant
Naga's symptoms mean she is an extreme case but does not want to have a hysterectomy, which is the removal of her uterus.
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