BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty opens up about adenomyosis diagnosis

Naga Munchetty has revealed she has been diagnosed with debilitating womb condition adenomyosis. The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter opened up about her condition after a flare-up at the weekend forced her husband to call an ambulance.

Munchetty has shared that she lives with constant pain and lives every day on pain killers due to the condition. Speaking on her radio show this morning, she said: “The pain was so terrible I couldn’t move, turn over, sit up. I screamed non-stop for 45 minutes.”

The BBC Breakfast presenter has spoken about her wait for answers and pain treatment. She said: “Right now as I sit here talking to you: I am in pain. Constant, nagging pain. In my uterus. Around my pelvis. Sometimes it runs down my thighs.

“And I’ll have some level of pain for the entire show and for the rest of the day until I go to sleep.” One in 10 women in the UK have adenomyosis, with the condition taking years to get a diagnosis for.

Adenomyosis is when the womb lining (the endometrium) grows within the muscular wall of the uterus. Although the condition is not life-threatening, symptoms include heavy and painful periods, feelings of heaviness in the pelvic area and pain during sex and when having a poo.

Treatments can include contraception which can lessen the symptoms, with a hysterectomy the only treatment to fully remove the condition. Naga Munchetty revealed that her symptoms began as a teenager and had resisted the surgical option to remove her uterus.

The 48-year-old recently spoke to The Independent saying she was diagnosed with the condition eight months ago and had never heard of it before that. She also revealed how she nearly passed out whilst presenting BBC Breakfast, saying: “I just said, ‘I have to leave’. And I went to the loo and I thought I was going to pass out, but I threw up and then just came back.”

Speaking about the flare up over the weekend, Naga said: “I was writhing around and moaning and screaming in pain. Eventually I got to sleep after about 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 was just screaming.

“All I remember saying is ‘if the ambulance comes’, which it didn’t, ‘do not let them give me a full hysterectomy’ because that is the only cure to get rid of it.”

Adenomyosis has been branded as the “evil twin sister” of the more well known condition endometriosis, with very similar symptoms between the conditions. The NHS website does not currently have a specific page for the condition, but has a dedicated section for endometriosis.

What is adenomyosis?

Adenomyosis is a condition where the lining of the womb grows within the muscular wall of the uterus. It is possible to have no symptoms with adenomyosis but women with the condition can also suffer greatly.

Symptoms include:

• Heavy, painful periods
• Periods that last a long time or are irregular
• A feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvic area
• Bloating 
• Painful sex
• Painful bowel movements 

To get a diagnosis for the condition a doctor will carry out a pelvic examination and may refer you for more tests including an ultrasound or an MRI. These tests can also help rule out any other potential health conditions.

Treatments for Adenomyosis can be anti-inflammatory medication or contraception to ease symptoms. A hysterectomy, which removes the uterus, is the only treatment to fully eliminate the condition.