'NHS staff need to take women more seriously'

TV stars Vicky Pattison and Naga Munchetty have told MPs that NHS staff need to "take women seriously" over health problems, as they shared their experiences of feeling dismissed.

- Aine Fox

Vicky, from reality show Geordie Shore, said she felt "stupid and ashamed" while BBC Breakfast host Naga recalled being told to "suck it up" since she was a teenager.

Both women had been trying to obtain a diagnosis and treatment for menstrual and gynaecological issues.

They told the Women and Equalities Committee's inquiry into women's reproductive health yesterday they each went private after failing to find the care they needed on the NHS.

Vicky, 35, who has premenstrual dysphoric disorder, said extreme symptoms in her late 20s such as "crippling anxiety", insomnia and fatigue were put down to premenstrual syndrome by various doctors.