BBC star Naga Munchetty says 'sterilisation was my only option' after 32 year health battle

BBC Breakfast star has revealed sterilisation was her 'only option' after suffering in pain with a debilitating health condition for 32 years.

Naga, 50, has previously revealed her painful health battle, which Naga was diagnosed with in 2022, but had been struggling with pain for years before. She later revealed her condition after she was forced to take time off due to the condition.

Adenomyosis, which affects around one in 10 women in the UK, is a condition where "the lining of the womb (uterus) starts growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb. There are treatments that can help with any symptoms", the states.

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There are treatment options for adenomyosis, including the hormonal coil, the contraceptive pill or patch as well as medicines such as tranexamic acid or NSAIDs. But, the NHS states, that if treatments do not work, patients may need surgery. Surgery options can vary from surgery to remove the lining of your womb to a hysterectomy.

Now, in a candid new interview, Naga has revealed her anger after being made to 'second guess' her pain as she lived with excruciating periods, which came every two and a half weeks.

She has now revealed: "It makes you angry. If you are second-guessing that you are not strong enough to be a woman, that you are weaker than all the other women because you’re told it’s all normal, everyone’s going through it, you second-guess other parts of your life."

Naga added in her interview with The Times: "You shut up, you don't speak up," as she discussed being turned away by doctors for years. The Breakfast star revealed the painful symptoms, which included fainting, severe aching, exhaustion, vomiting and heavy bleeding – which she had experienced from the age of 15 – left her feeling 'it just needs to stop' as she struggled to get answers, although she insisted she has 'never been suicidal'.

Naga, who decided not to have children in her mid 30s, had the coil fitted in 2017 but was left screaming in agony and even fainted during the procedure. She later had it removed one year later. Then, in 2019, Naga opted for sterilisation, which she said she felt was her 'only option'.

The TV star explained: "I knew I didn’t want children and I didn’t want to be reliant on hormones or the regimen of the pill because it didn’t fit with my lifestyle.

"It felt like it was my only option," Naga candidly revealed. The TV star, who's new book It’s Probably Nothing is due for release on May 8, shared how she was on the receiving end of cruel comments about her choice not to have children. Naga said: "here were even people who said, ‘Oh, they haven’t chosen not to have children, there are fertility problems'," before she added that people 'couldn't accept' she and her husband James Haggar had 'chosen not to have children'.

Naga previously revealed her symptoms in a previous interview with The Times in which she said: "[A normal period] It's not throwing up. It's not diarrhoea. It's not hugging a toilet and crying because you're sweating through pain, fainting, cramped over, loading yourself up with painkillers way more than you should be, from the age of 15."

Naga first brought her struggle with this debilitating gynaecological condition to light during a segment on Radio 5 Live in 2023, even admitting to enduring pain while on air, reports .

Naga began her illustrious broadcasting career as a reporter on Reuters Financial Television. Since then, she has continued to ascend the ranks, securing roles on CNBC, and now the BBC where she is one of the most recognisable faces.

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