Reality TV star Vicky Pattinson has spoken out about her experience of “medical misogyny” after doctors dismissed her “crippling” gynecological symptoms for five years.
The 37-year-old was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in 2023, a severe and debilitating form of PMS which the former I’m A Celebrity winner described as “PMS on steroids”.
Despite battling “horrendous” symptoms, including “crippling anxiety, exhaustion and feelings of hopelessness,” she revealed today that my doctors “made her feel ashamed.”
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she explained that the condition left her suffering from a constant cycle of despair for 10 days to two weeks a month, including suicidal thoughts.
Issues like these may sound familiar to many of the 824,000 women in the UK and 4.2 million in the US who suffer from PMDD.
Women suffering from this condition struggle with intense mood swings, anxiety, and seething rage every month, in addition to the usual physical symptoms.
The variety of emotional and physical symptoms usually appear a fortnight before your period.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today, he said: “It can appear differently in different people.” Physical symptoms include aches and pains, exhaustion, cramps, and breast pain.
Reality TV star Vicky Pattinson told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that male doctors dismissed her “crippling” gynecological symptoms for five years.
“Your mental symptoms are your mood swings, your erratic behavior, and a genuine belief that the world will be a better place without you.”
Although PMDD is common, a lack of awareness among health professionals means some women wait a decade or more to receive a diagnosis, according to the International Association of Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD).
Pattison added: ‘My experiences when I came in to talk about my symptoms were horrendous. For five years I was laid off. They made me feel ashamed. Most of the time they were men.
‘I think the lack of understanding and empathy towards what we are going through is shocking.
‘We are not given the right information and education to be able to treat a woman who is going through what she is going through.
“When I was completely fired again and again I was able to go private.”
Pattinson’s complaints come as a damning report reveals women are enduring painful gynecological conditions due to “medical misogyny” in the NHS.
Stigma around reproductive health issues and a lack of education about common conditions such as endometriosis, heavy periods and adenomyosis are fueling the crisis, according to the report.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, presents numerous symptoms, both physical such as pain, nausea and fatigue, as well as mental health problems such as mood swings, relationship problems and even suicidal thoughts.
Victims suffer agonizing discomfort that “interferes with all aspects of their daily lives”, including their education, careers, relationships and fertility, said MPs from the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, which published the report today.
The report shows that a lack of research, treatments and specialists, along with the “deprioritization” of gynecological services, has caused these waiting lists to grow faster than any other specialty.
Meanwhile, women’s symptoms are often “normalized,” meaning it can take years to get a diagnosis and care.
Pattinson told GMB presenters: “There are thousands, if not millions, of people who don’t have the same opportunities as me and this report is a step in the right direction.”
Neglecting women’s health in the workplace is estimated to cost the UK economy £20 billion a year, with some forced to quit their jobs.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says Britain is in the midst of a “gynecological care crisis”, with more than 750,000 women on the waiting list.
According to IAPMD, about 72 percent of people with a diagnosis of PMDD report suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives.
By comparison, in the general population about 10 percent of people report suicidal thoughts over their lifetime.
However, it is not just the emotional and psychological symptoms that many women with this condition also struggle with.
Physical symptoms that can also be debilitating and have a detrimental impact on quality of life.
Having a lack of energy, tenderness or swelling in the breasts, pain in the muscles or joints, headaches, feeling bloated, changes in appetite such as overeating or craving specific foods, and sleeping irregularly are all symptoms. of premenstrual dysphoric syndrome.
The exact causes of PMDD are not fully understood, but researchers believe it may be due to a heightened sensitivity to changes in hormone levels.
Treatment for PMDD varies from taking antidepressants and the combined contraceptive pill, to therapy and painkillers or even surgery to remove the uterus, says mental health charity MIND.